Jake Weatherald will not pull on a Hobart Hurricanes shirt for Wednesday night’s Knockout final against Melbourne Stars, preferring to keep his eye on red-ball cricket for the rest of the summer. The decision removes a proven top-order option just when the defending champions could do with an injection of calm after Saturday’s stumble in Brisbane.
“Jake doesn’t feel ready to play this format of the game and wants to focus on red-ball cricket at the back-end of the summer,” Hurricanes coach Jeff Vaughan said. “It’s something we want to support Jake on. He’s had a huge Ashes year. To play a full summer of Test cricket is pretty arduous.”
Both sides were in with a shout of finishing first before faltering in their final regular-season outings. Hobart misread a gentle chase against the Heat, while the Stars came second to Perth Scorchers. They now meet in a three-versus-four clash at Ninja Stadium; the winner progresses, the loser is done. If the forecast showers soak Hobart and prevent any play, the higher-ranked Hurricanes will advance.
Hobart’s attack has been steady, Nathan Ellis and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain sharing the bulk of the wickets. The greater headache is how to replace Rehan Ahmed, who has departed for England’s tour of Sri Lanka. Vaughan admitted “three or four players” are being considered, none an obvious like-for-like.
“We’ve debriefed that Heat collapse,” the coach added, hinting at a touch of complacency once the target looked routine. “We want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Over in the Stars’ camp, Marcus Stoinis tried to keep things breezy despite Saturday’s misfire. “Not going to lie, would have loved to win that,” the captain said. “[But] it’s a great position to be in, in the last game of the season to have that ability to finish top of the ladder. You just have to do it a different way now.”
Stoinis also defended Glenn Maxwell, whose campaign – 67 runs at 13.40 – has been thin. “These things happen to everyone, where you go through a rough patch,” he said. “He’s one person that comes out on top nearly every time. Hopefully he’s saving them for a big finals campaign.”
The Stars remain the only club without a BBL title, a fact impossible to ignore yet not something the dressing-room dwells on. Stoinis ranks the current squad as “good enough”, though fully aware that a single poor night can undo months of work.
Should the rain stay away, Hobart’s surface usually offers early seam movement before settling into a true pitch – conditions that suit left-hander Beau Webster, among the Test players freed up post-Ashes. If Duckworth-Lewis makes an appearance, both captains will lean heavily on their spinners, mindful that a short, sharp contest often rewards wicket-takers rather than run accumulators.
Whatever the weather, one firm detail is settled: Weatherald will be watching from afar, already thinking about Sheffield Shield points and England in August. Vaughan is comfortable with that. “He wants to be best prepared for Shield cricket … and ensure he is the No.1 opening batsman in Australia.”
