Mitchell Johnson: Unheralded West Australian Sam Whiteman primed for Ashes squad

While it’s unusual to have so much uncertainty regarding Australia’s Test top order heading into a big Ashes series, right now there is also a lot to be positive about.

We’ve got three in-form, experienced players who continue to stack up runs in domestic cricket and keep doing what the selectors want in Sam Whiteman, Kurtis Patterson and Jake Weatherald.

All three know their games, all three have first-class records that stand up, and all three could strengthen the Test batting order immediately.

Add in discarded Test opener Nathan McSweeney, who I still believe will be our next long-term No.3, and suddenly the future looks a lot brighter than some might think.

While the three names I first mentioned are batsmen in their early 30s, for the short term, while there is a rebuild, they are quality players who could do the job well.

And for me, Whiteman is the standout. He might not get the headlines, but that’s exactly what makes him so reliable. He captains Western Australia, has made big hundreds in finals, and simply goes about his business.

He has gears in the way he bats — patient early, fluent when set.

Whiteman is the kind of opener who could do what Rogers did in 2013, holding the innings together and giving the middle order the platform it needs.

The West Aussie, Patterson and Weatherald are not prospects anymore. They are hardened professionals who have been through the grind of Sheffield Shield cricket season after season. That matters.

When you walk into an Ashes series or a tough Test campaign, it’s not raw talent that gets you through; it’s knowing your method and backing it under pressure.

These three fit the mould of past mature-age success stories such as Mike Hussey, Chris Rogers and most recently Beau Webster — players who arrived at the highest level already confident in their game and adjusted quickly to international cricket.

Patterson is a ready-made option. He’s already been there, scoring a Test hundred against Sri Lanka, and he hasn’t stopped scoring runs for NSW. Across the past three shield seasons he’s averaged in the high 40s, batting mainly at four, and that’s where he belongs.

Patterson is calm, composed, and a partnership builder. If the selectors line him up at four, with Steve Smith at three — where your best player should be — and an opener such as Whiteman or Weatherald at the top, you suddenly have a top order that looks balanced, experienced, and capable of taking on England in our own conditions.

Weatherald is the attacking option. For me, he’s a better choice right now than pushing teenager Sam Konstas too early. Konstas has real potential, but he needs time away from the spotlight to grow.

Weatherald plays a similar aggressive style but has years of experience behind him.

He can take the game away from an opposition in a session, and if Australia are worried about being too passive at the top, Weatherald’s presence adds variety and intent without sacrificing maturity.

And then there’s McSweeney. He might not have the same volume of first-class runs yet, but he has the game to be Australia’s long-term No.3.

He’s technically sound, mentally tough, and already leading South Australia with maturity beyond his years. I wanted him there a year or so ago, developing his skills and he would have been primed at first drop for an Ashes series, but I’m convinced he’ll still be part of the national set-up sooner rather than later, if not this Ashes series.

This is where the selectors need to make the right calls. Don’t rush kids in before they’re ready. Build a batting order that makes sense: Whiteman or Weatherald to open with Usman Khawaja, with Smith at three and Patterson at four.

Australian cricket has been here before. We’ve seen the value of experience, of players who know their game inside out. The selectors have an opportunity now to reward form, reward resilience, and build a top order that can stand up in an Ashes series.