Weatherald pushes Ashes case with 183 for Australia A

Darwin-born Jake Weatherald sealed a happy homecoming and put his name in the conversation surrounding Australia's opening batter conundrum for the Ashes with an imperious century for Australia A against Sri Lanka A.

Starting day three of the second four-day game on 45, Tasmania's Weatherald powered to 183 in a magnificent 275-ball innings punctuated by 16 fours and two sixes.

Australia A captain Jason Sangha made an unbeaten 121, his third first-class century in his last five innings dating back to the end of the Sheffield Shield season. The pair's 209-run third-wicket stand, after Kurtis Patterson made 59 in a 134-run second-wicket stand with Weatherald, took Australia A from 76 for 1 on resumption to a strong 379 for 3 by stumps on Tuesday, in reply to Sri Lanka A's 485 for 6 declared.

With the Darwin pitch ideal for batting, the chance of a result looks slim, with the series poised to end 0-0 after game one finished in a stalemate.

Most discussion out of the match, then, may centre on Weatherald after the 30-year-old made hay on the Marrara Cricket Ground pitch to score his 13th first-class century.

Coming after his 54 in his only innings in game one, the knock was a timely reminder to national selectors as they weigh top-order options for this summer's home Ashes after a bleak tour of the West Indies for openers. Usman Khawaja has averaged 15.37 in his last eight Test innings and will turn 39 during the Ashes. The 19-year-old Sam Konstas fared even worse when recalled to partner Khawaja in the recent 3-0 Test series romp in the Caribbean, averaging 8.33 and looking well short of the finished article. Nathan McSweeney - dropped after averaging 14.40 through his first three Tests last summer against India - made 94 for Australia A last week to push his case for a possible recall, but failed on Monday in the second match, making 12.

Into calculations for a top-of-the-order Test debut in the Ashes comes Weatherald, who opened for Australia A and raised his century on Tuesday off 146 deliveries, scoring in virtually every part of the ground.

The left-hand batter is coming off the finest summer of his career, in which he topped the Sheffield Shield competition with 905 runs.

His three Shield centuries - as with his effort on Tuesday - showed his capacity to push on to make a big hundred, scoring 186 against Queensland, 155 against Victoria, and 145 against New South Wales.

On Tuesday, he and Patterson progressed their second-wicket partnership to 134 before Patterson was caught at point for 59 reaching for a wide delivery from paceman Asanka Manoj.

Weatherald and Sangha piled on 209 for the third wicket before Weatherald was bowled by offspinner Nuwanidu Fernando.