South Australia batsman Jake Weatherald gets out on first delivery after fielding for 900 balls

At times, cricket is a cruel game. South Africa’s opening batsman Aiden Markram faced just two balls in the first innings of the second Test against India in Pune before falling for nought on Friday – which was Day 2. Before that, he was in the field for more than 156 overs as the hosts posted a mammoth total of 601 for 5 declared.

Abhinav Mukund, who opened for India in the past, felt for the talented South African who is playing his first Test series in India and is yet to hit a fifty. But Markram is not the first cricketer to have faced such a plight. In another part of the world – a batsman named Jake Weatherald had a similar experience while playing in Australia’s domestic Sheffield Shield recently.

Having hit a fifty in his last outing against Tasmania in a List A match, the South Australia opener was playing against Victoria in a longer game. Being a specialist batsman, the 24-year-old Weatherald had to field for the entire Victoria innings which lasted 150 overs or 900 balls on a lifeless wicket. Victoria declared their innings at 616 for 6 declared. Then South Australia came out to bat and their openers were under the big challenge of giving their team an equally good start even if tired.

Opener Jake Weatherald got caught at gully on the very first ball!

But it was a forgettable outing for Weatherald as he got out for a golden duck, even worse than Markram. Australia’s national pacer James Pattinson who featured in the recent Ashes was playing the game and he dismissed the left-handed Weatherald as the latter poked an outgoing delivery to the gully where Glenn Maxwell took the catch. The bowler was ecstatic to have drawn the first blood early in the innings.

Jake Weatherald was out in the field for 900 balls.

When he finally got his chance to bat, James Pattinson ensured he lasted just one! #SheffieldShield #VICvSA pic.twitter.com/OsXJEes8j9

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 11, 2019

The match ended when SA was at 671 runs at a loss of 6 wickets after captains of both the teams agreed to declare it as a draw. Of the seven batsmen who turned out for South Australia, only one another apart from Weatherald failed to reach the half-century mark. Weatherald has played 35 first-class matches in which he has scored 2,157 runs.

Talking about the India-SA Test, the visitors put up a fight towards the end but still got all out for 275 at the end of Day 3 to concede a lead of 326 to Virat Kohli’s men. The game is now heavily balanced in the hosts’ favour unless somebody from SA plays out of his skin to save it.

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