Australian opener Jake Weatherald reveals what Ben Stokes said to him before match-winning stand with Travis Head
There was also a lot of unsolicited feedback from the public over the two days; One of them was a fan who fired a volley at Weatherald as he walked back to the team hotel after the first day.
“If you’ve had a particularly bad day, you get bits of both, good recognition and bad recognition,” Weatherald said. “That’s the best thing about playing Test cricket. You want to be in the limelight, you want to do things that people notice. That’s part of playing for Australia, you want to represent your country in the best way possible.”
Jake Weatherald clears one.Credit: access point
“People are emotional. After your first day you leave feeling a little disappointed and a little sad. People make sure to let you know that. At the same time, when you contribute to a team winning, they are there to support you and stick around you.
“It’s great to be a part of the way you can manipulate the emotions of the Australian people and of course you also feel the true power of the British. Thankfully I get the best of both worlds.”
While Weatherald has relished his partnership with Head, who reduced the target by 75 runs in quick time and put the Aussies on the path to an eight-wicket victory, he expects Khawaja to accompany him in Brisbane.
“To get a score of 100 when the top score is just over 50, to go out and block out the outside noise is an incredible feat,” Weatherald said.
“The Barmy Army were very vocal. Considering we had only scored 140 in the first innings, two hundred was a long way off.
“The way (Head) went out to bat and had complete freedom was one of the things I was very jealous of. It was something that gave me a lot of confidence at the other end. I just have to be committed to what I do and it will be successful.”
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Weatherald said he was unimpressed by Labuschagne’s sudden change of plan on each inning, which resulted in Head opening with him.
“I was excited to go with Heady, I knew it was a good opportunity for us to put the pressure back on immediately,” Weatherald said. “It would be nice to date Uzzy, but I’m sure that will come in due time.”
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