Darwin-born cricketer Jake Weatherald returns home for international debut in top form

Australia Broadcast Center

4 days ago

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Darwin, an oval ringed with palm trees and a sea breeze plays host to a local cricket match.
The crack of leather meeting wood rings across the grounds, followed by cheers of support — "Way to go Weathers" — and a smattering of applause.
Jake Weatherald is batting for Darwin Cricket Club, 15 years after he moved south to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
The 30-year-old Territorian returned to his home club in preparation for last month's international debut for Australia A vs Sri Lanka A at Marrara, where he did the home crowd proud.
The left-handed opening batsman scored 183 in the second unofficial Test, showing he can more than hold his own in the international arena.
He said growing up in Darwin gave him opportunities to learn and challenge himself.
"I think the clubs up here do a really good job of playing their juniors at a young age, which is something that I think is really important to becoming a better cricketer," Weatherald said.
He's part of the golden generation of NT juniors, joining the likes of D'Arcy Short, Tom Andrews and Kane Richardson — all professional cricketers home-grown in the territory.
"I had a lot of other guys that I grew up with that went on to play first class cricket, so we sort of created a bit of a bubble and had some really good coaches, really supportive people around us," Weatherald said.
His journey to international cricket progressed at a steady pace and had its challenges.
He said the support of his wife and family, and the Darwin cricket community, helped to keep him focused.
The fact that Weatherald's dad was into sport gave him the opportunity to try different things, but at the same time he always backed his son academically.
"He provided a lot of support in terms of he's just being himself, just providing a little love, a lot of care and a shoulder to cry on when I wasn't doing so well," the professional cricketer said.
Weatherald said he also owed a lot to his mum and step-dad, who provided support for him to go south for boarding school and had moved to Adelaide to be close by.
When he finished school and started to drift off course, it was his mum who steered him back.
"Mum sort of pulled me aside and said, 'You need to sort yourself out if you want to become professional cricketer, you can't do it later in life'," Weatherald said.
But it was his return to Darwin's cricket community that he remembered being a defining moment in life.
"I was lucky, there was a guy called Tony Judd up here that said, 'If you want to come train full-time with me, you can come play for Tracy Village. I'll work with you every day'," Weatherald said.
"So I made a commitment to come up here every day … did everything I possibly could, and it just moulded me into the cricketer I became."
By 21, he was playing first class cricket. Weatherald said Darwin gave him a place to train and play in southern winter months when the summer cricket season had finished.
He said the territory offered great facilities and coaches, plus the caring community a young cricketer needed.
"That's something that might fall through the cracks down south."
Weatherald's cricket career includes featuring in the Sheffield Shield for Tasmania and South Australia and starring in the Big Bash with the likes of the Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes.
He said Tassie had similarities to the territory. Both serve as a place where you feel like you know everyone — with a supportive community to be a part of — and, of course, the love of fishing too.
"Obviously, the weather's different but it's very relaxed," he said of the island state.
"Everything's done at a pretty slow pace. Everyone's really nice, which I'm really happy about"
As for his proudest achievement — Weatherald's quick to answer: it's definitely his wife Rachel.
But, from a cricket point of view, it's just playing professional sport in general.
"To actually live out that dream and repay my family, for making all the sacrifices and all the hours they spent bringing me to games and paying all that money to travel down south — I think that's the thing I'm proud about the most," he said.
By all accounts, Jake Weatherald has never been in better form.
Having impressed with Australia A, now he's driven to break his way into Australia's top side, led by Pat Cummins.
"Thankfully, now that I'm 30, I feel like my game's at a point of — and my mindset's in a place where — I feel as if I can be the best version of myself," he said.
"Whether that takes me to the top of the Test cricket, or that means this is the highest I get to, I feel as though I'm getting the best out of myself at the moment.