IND vs AUS: All-rounder Beau Webster has been named in Australia’s squad for the second Test in Adelaide. (Cricket Australia)
After suffering an ignominious 295-run defeat at the hands of India in the opening Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth on Sunday, Australia are likely to make addition the squad for the forthcoming pink-ball Test in Adelaide, starting December 6.
According to Australia media reports, the hosts are set to add all-rounder Beau Webster to the Test team after reports had emerged of a sore Mitchell Marsh’s bowling workloads following the first Test.
“He was a little but sore towards the end of this Test match, so the next ten days he has a chance to freshen up and try to get it right,” captain Pat Cummins had revealed after the Perth Test. We’ll see how he goes.”
If Marsh fails to recover in time for the Adelaide Test that starts after a considerable break, Webster is in line to receive his Test debut in the Day-Night game.
Who is Beau Webster?
Hailing from South Tasmania, the 30-year-old Webster has been a standout performer at the Sheffield Shield level over the last two seasons. The right-handed batter has aggregated 1788 runs in the period at a 51.08 average, including five hundreds and nine fifties. Only Cameron Bancroft has outranked Webster with the bat in this frame.
Webster also picked 30 wickets last season and had a decent crack at the India A side recently during the two tour games in Mackay and Melbourne.
Webster scored 145 runs in four innings while chipping in with seven wickets. Webster had a fine run in the County Championship earlier this year, scoring over 250 runs for Gloucestershire while recording career-best FC figures of 6/100.
The in-form Webster also led Tasmania to a 55-run win over New South Wales in Sydney this week, scoring 110 runs across two innings with 5 wickets. “(Webster’s) a special player at the moment,” Tasmania captain Jordan Silk told reporters.
“Anytime I feel like we’re in trouble, I feel like I can throw him the ball and he just seems to be able to create something, or anytime we’re in similar trouble with the bat then he’s able to dig us out of it. I know there’s a bit of talk around him potentially as a backup all-rounder (for the Test side) and I’m very supportive of that move if they are to go that way,” remarked Silk.
Originally, an off-spin bowler, the two-metre tall Webster added medium-pace bowling to his quiver during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21. Overall, Webster has amassed over 5000 First-Class runs in his career while snapping up 148 wickets.
