Weatherald in Australia squad for first Ashes Test

Chief selector George Bailey hailed 'impressive' uncapped opener Jake Weatherald as having all the right attributes after he was named on Wednesday in Australia's squad for the first Ashes Test.

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Inform batsman Marnus Labuschagne was recalled but young opener Sam Konstas was dropped from the I5-man squad, which will be captained by Steve Smith in the injury-enforced absence of Pat Cummins.

Should the 31-year-old Weatherald pad up against Ben Stokes’s England, he will be the sixth opening partner for Usman Khawaja since David Warner retired last year.

Previous experiments with Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head, Labuschagne and Konstas did not pan out.

Bailey would not say if Weatherald would definitely make his debut in Perth on Nove.21.

“No, not confirmed in the XI,” Bailey said.

“Obviously we've got I4 of our I5-man squad playing round four (Sheffield Shield).

“Still some information to gather out of that. Cameron Green being one, returning to the bowling crease, that'd be good.”