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Whateley: Ashes D-Day approaches, who's a lock, who has to lift?
Gerard Whateley • October 28th, 2025 11:36 am
Make a hundred … play for Australia.
Time to demand selection.
Good morning Jake Weatherald and Matt Renshaw. The third round of the Sheffield Shield season begins this morning
This is the designated cut off point for inclusion in the Ashes squad.
The batters of Australia were told well in advance nothing would matter more than making runs by the end of October.
Selection itself will take into account the fourth round but the next four days are about making the cut.
There are two moving pieces in the batting with Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith and Head locked.
At Junction Oval Weatherald will open the batting for Tasmania.
He is last season’s leading Shield run scorer and his four innings so far – 67 and 57 followed by 18 and 94.
The 30-year-old’s stocks have never been higher.
The push is on for Renshaw… Damien Fleming started that a week ago… since then Greg Chappell, Allan Border and Usman Khawaja have nominated the Queenslander as their preferred candidate.
He made a hundred in the first Shield match, then made his ODI debut with scores of 21 not out, 30 and 56 at the SCG on Saturday… it was his first half century for Australia since 2017.
When he made his Test debut in November 2016 he looked like the long-term prospect but that never quite materialized for lots of different reasons.
Renshaw plays at the Gabba against New South Wales.
Sam Konstas is in that game.
He remains the incumbent but needs a big century to have any chance from here having gone 4, 14, 0 and 53.
At six Beau Webster will finally play having overcome an ankle injury…he’s in Melbourne against the Vics.
And Cam Green is not ready to bowl so plays as a specialist batter in Perth versus South Australia.
Both of those players will be in the Ashes squad so that decision isn’t imminent.
So this is it… make centuries and make your case.
