'Who this?' Khawaja meets his match in new opening partner

Usman Khawaja may have met his match in an opening partner just as willing to speak his mind as him, with Jake Weatherald laughing off the veteran only belatedly backing him to play the Ashes this summer.

Khawaja has endorsed Weatherald to take on England's speedy new-ball attack in Perth's series opener, insisting opposition skipper Ben Stokes would least like to see Marnus Labuschagne batting at three.

"If I was the English captain, what team wouldn't I want (Australia to field) – and it's always Marnus scoring runs at three, (Steve) Smith four, (Travis) Head five. At the moment that's our best side," Khawaja told Fox Cricket on Thursday.

That would leave room for only one of Cameron Green or Beau Webster and see Weatherald open with Khawaja after the Tasmanian earnt his maiden Test call-up this week.

Weatherald noted Khawaja's earlier support for Queensland teammate Matthew Renshaw. "He didn't have me in four days ago," the smiling Weatherald said in Hobart today.

In a jocular interview on The Grade Cricketer podcast the previous day, he had quipped: "I don't think (Khawaja) knows my name to be honest with you." Khawaja got in on the gag when he replied to an Instagram clip of the interview by saying: "Who this?"

Australia's new odd couple will hope they can handle Jofra Archer and Mark Wood on seam-friendly pitches as well as they have their online banter.

The two left-handers have come up against each other over the years in the Sheffield Shield. They also played alongside each other in three T20 matches for Khawaja's Brisbane club side Valley when Weatherald was on the outer in Tasmania two summers ago.

Weatherald batted in the middle order and Khawaja opened, meaning they never batted with each other.

"We're probably fundamentally a little bit different in the way we go about batting and the way we move," said Weatherald.

"I'm pretty conscious about making sure that I'm clear about what I'm doing as a batter. For me it's just maintaining what I'm doing.

"But apart from that, it's just dealing with pressure – I asked him a little bit about that, 'How do you get through Test matches, how do you prepare' and stuff like that."

Khawaja has been complimentary of Weatherald's dominant recent domestic form which saw him pile on 906 runs on difficult batting surfaces during last summer's Sheffield Shield.

"He's a terrific player. What he's done – conditions last year were pretty hard at Shield cricket and he was a standout," said Khawaja.

"The wickets were green, and he found a way to score runs both leg-side and off-side, he's very strong square of the wicket – cut shot, pull shot – but he also knows how to score down the ground.

"What we've seen consistently is that when he is playing well, he's a guy who knows how to keep the momentum going and score runs. As a batsman, you don't want to waste good form, which he doesn't do."

Weatherald's viewing of the 2005 Ashes proved a seminal moment in inspiring the then 10-year-old living in remote Darwin to pursue a career in cricket.

Setbacks with form slumps and mental-health challenges meant a path to international cricket never materialised during his eight years in South Australia, while he also spent almost the entirety of his first season in Tasmania out of their Shield team.

Committing to a more consistent approach with the bat has come after several years learning in what he termed the "university" of Sheffield Shield cricket.

"I've put in a lot of work to become consistent in first class cricket and find a way that I feel works. I think now it's just doubling down on that and backing that in," he said.

"If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, I'm happy with that. I know that I'm trying my absolute best when I walk out there to bat to do what I think is right at the time. I'm just going to try to repeat that in Test cricket.

"The way I operate is probably around (being attacking). But at the same time I'm not too preconceived about what about what I want to do.

"I feel adaptable. I don't feel like a one-gear player. They're two different things – if I have to lock in and bat a day and score 50 runs because that's the best thing for the team in the conditions, then that's what ill do.

"But if the opportunity is there (to attack), I'll definitely take it."

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: November 21-25, Perth Stadium, 1.30pm AEDT

Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3.30pm AEDT

Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 11am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: (First Test only): Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

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