Adelaide Strikers and South Australia Redbacks star and Northern Territory product Jake Weatherald: ‘Playing Strike League will further my Australia dreams’
EXCLUSIVE: Darwin product, and Redbacks and Adelaide Strikers star Jake Weatherald believes playing in “foreign conditions” in the Top End this dry season will further his hopes of representing his country on an overseas Test tour in the coming years.
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DARWIN product, and Redbacks and Adelaide Strikers star Jake Weatherald believes playing in “foreign conditions” in the Top End this dry season will further his hopes of representing his country on a Test tour overseas in the coming years.
The NT News can reveal the hard-hitting opener is a massive signing for Southern Storm, with the 26-year-old to make his first TIO Men’s Strike League appearance since his stunning two centuries from three games with Northern Tide in 2017, the first year of the NT Cricket initiative.
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“Definitely (there are a lot of benefits for me playing in this competition during the southern off-season),” Weatherald told the NT News.
“The conditions in Darwin are quite foreign compared to Adelaide, with the dry-season heat and the spinning wickets.
“Which is vital practise for when you play in the subcontinent under those similar conditions.
“I’ve toured India before with a development side, and it was a cool experience getting an insight on how to play in those conditions.”
There is no doubt Weatherald has the talent to next tour the subcontinent in a baggy-green cap, of course dependent on the horrific COVID-19 situation in India.
He sees playing alongside fellow big Strike League drawcard Kurtis Patterson as crucial in achieving that goal.
Patterson is a Test representative, who scored a classy 114 not out during his second and last five-day appearance against Sri Lanka in early 2019.
“We’re probably in similar positions in our careers,” Weatherald said of the 28-year-old who will represent City Cyclones. “He’s played Test cricket and I haven’t, and I’ve played a bit of Big Bash cricket.
“So we can talk about those experiences and learn off each other.
“It’s a testament to NT Cricket that they’ve got the calibre of players they’ve attracted to the Cricket365 program.”
The squads for all 2021 Strike League outfits are listed below.
SOUTHERN STORM
Coach: Adrian Gallagher
Jake Weatherald (SA)
Beau Webster (TAS)
Ash Chandrasinghe (Waratah, NT)
Kyle Scrimegour (Tracy Village, NT)
Dean Fry (Southern Districts, NT)
Michael Kudra (Nightcliff, NT)
Lucas Nitschke (Palmerston, NT)
Andrew Richards (Nightcliff, NT)
Mac Wright (TAS)
Josh Kann (Gold Coast, Tracy Village)
Brodie Symons (VIC)
Blade Baxter (PINT, NT, VIC)
Brad Hope (WA)
Arjun Nair (NSW)
Sam Fanning (WA)
NORTHERN TIDE
Coaches: Udara Weerasinghe, Dylan Slater
Isaac Conway (Waratah, Port Adelaide)
Aaron Summers (Darwin)
Matt Hammond (Southern Districts)
Antum Naqvi (Tracy Village)
Harshtik Bimbral (Palmerston)
Jay Naganayagam (Nightcliff, Gordon)
Joel Curtis (Nightcliff, Perth CC)
Lachie Bangs (PINT)
Ryan Hackney (NSW)
Isaac Higgins (SA)
Callum Stow (VIC)
Noah McFayden (QLD)
Jason Sangha (NSW)
Matthew Gilkes (NSW)
Corey Hunter (QLD)
CITY CYCLONES
Coaches: Brad Murphy, Himesh Silva
Henry Hunt (SA Redbacks)
Jacob Dickman (Darwin)
Tushaar Garg (Nigtcliff)
Jackson Edmondstone (Tracy Village)
Banjo Waring (Federals)
Alex Bleakley (Palmerston)
Josh Neill (PINT)
Kade Hurley (Tracy Village, QLD)
Lloyd Pope (Sydney Sixers, SA)
Zac Sleeman (VIC)
Keegan Oates (TAS)
Campbell Kellaway (VIC)
Jarrod Freeman (TAS)
Liam Guthrie (WA)
Lachie Hearne (NSW)
Kurtis Patterson (NSW Blues)
DESERT BLAZE
Coaches: David Andrews, Jason Bremner
Tom Andrews (TAS)
Jackson Isakka (Southern Districts, NT)
Coby Edmondstone (Tracy Village, NT)
Awad Naqvi (Tracy Village)
Tom Kelaart (Federals, NT/University, QLD)
Hamish Martin (Palmerston)
Connor Blaxell-Hill (Palmerston, NT/Western Suburbs CC, NSW)
Ryan Harvey (Southern Districts, NT)
Hugo Burdon (Gold Coast Dolphins, QLD)
Dylan Brasher (VIC)
Max Hatzoglou (SA)
Jack White (TAS)
Oscar Corby (Palmerston, NT, Western Suburbs, NSW)
Corey Rocchiccioli (WA)
Jack Edwards (NSW)
Hayden Kerr (NSW)
Chris Tremain (NSW)
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