Jake Weatherald’s tough start to Test cricket continued as he became only the fifth Australian to be dismissed for a duck while opening the batting on debut. The left-hander, drafted in to open because Usman Khawaja was not allowed to due to time off the field, survived just two deliveries before being trapped lbw by a sharp inswinger from Jofra Archer.
Weatherald now joins a rare and unwanted list of Australian debutants who opened the batting and were dismissed without scoring:
Australian openers dismissed for a duck on debut (Tests)
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Ken Meuleman
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Jack Moroney
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Matthew Elliott
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Phill Hughes
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Jake Weatherald
The second-ball dismissal came from a 140 kph full delivery that swung late, hit him flush in front of middle and leg, and was overturned on review. England, defending 172, could not have asked for a better start as Archer struck immediately in his first over, leaving Australia 0/1 in the first over.
Weatherald’s debut remains one to forget, but with a long tour ahead, he will have more opportunities to settle into Test cricket.
