Jake Weatherald converts first UK century for Leicestershire after two near-misses
Jake Weatherald finally turned a prolific start into a landmark hundred in the County Championship, reaching his first century on British soil for Leicestershire in Cardiff on Saturday. The Australian Test opener, who had fallen agonisingly short in his first two matches, reached three figures against Glamorgan on a flat surface in a Division One fixture.
After debuting for Leicestershire with 83 against Sussex and then falling for 96 on an Oval belter against Surrey, the 31-year-old left-hander from Darwin navigated another bout of the nervous nineties. He edged Mason Crane past slip before relieving the tension by cutting the legspinner to the boundary to raise his hundred.
With Glamorgan having posted 440, the signs pointed to a long stay, but Weatherald limped off soon after for 104 from 116 balls. He was expected to resume on the third day with Leicestershire well placed at 1-215. Weatherald has been determined to absorb English conditions ahead of next year’s Ashes tour, where he is expected to be a key figure.
At Leeds, the crowd’s anticipation for Joe Root’s first innings of the summer was put on hold as Yorkshire’s new Australian recruit Sam Whiteman took centre stage. Born in Doncaster before emigrating to Perth and becoming a pillar of Western Australia’s resurgence, Whiteman reached his first half-century for his home county, closing on 73 not out.
Yorkshire were 1-192 in reply to Sussex’s 502, with Finlay Bean unbeaten on 102. Playing as a local domestic player, the 34-year-old Whiteman looked well set on Sunday to follow Bean and pursue a long-held ambition of a century for the county of his birth. Elsewhere, some England batters from the Ashes who struggled found early-season runs.
Ben Duckett made his first half-century of the campaign, scoring 62 for champions Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire, while Ollie Pope continued to press his Test claims with 69 for Surrey against Essex at the Oval. Weatherald’s expected return on day three gives Leicestershire a platform to chip away at Glamorgan’s total, while Whiteman will resume eyeing three figures as Yorkshire chase a hefty deficit on another benign surface.