Jake Weatherald believes maturing as a player and a cricketer has helped put him on the cusp of a Test debut he feared may never come.

The aggressive left-hander has been picked in Australia’s 15-man squad for the first Ashes Test in Perth following a stunning career revival in Tasmania.

Darwin-raised, Weatherald’s first-class career started brightly in South Australia, before a form slump and mental health challenges ended in him being dropped from the Sheffield Shield team.

But having smashed 1391 runs at 53.5 from his past 15 first-class games since his move to Tasmania, the 31-year-old is a chance to open the batting for Australia this summer.

“Playing for Australia’s the hardest thing to do in Australian sport,” Weatherald said in Hobart on Friday.

“It was always a goal that felt

See Full Page