Australia are set to add uncapped fast-bowling all-rounder Beau Webster into their squad for the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, to be played with the pink ball in Adelaide, starting on December 6. A report by News Corp on Wednesday said Webster has been picked up as an injury cover for fellow all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who has pulled up “sore” following the series opener, where Australia suffered a 295-run loss to India inside four days at Perth Stadium. Though there’s a ten-day gap between first and second Tests, if Marsh fails to recover in time for the Adelaide game, after bowling more than ten overs in Perth, then Webster has a chance to become Australia’s 468th men’s Test cricketer.
“Has he pulled up OK? We’ll wait and see. We knew that Mitch (Marsh) was slightly underdone coming in, but I thought the performance in the first innings was satisfactory,” said head coach Andrew McDonald following the loss at Perth.
Webster had amassed scores of 61 and 49, as well as picked 3/81 and 2/25 with the ball in Tasmania getting a 55-run win over New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as the state got their first win of the ongoing season.
Since the start of 2022/23, Webster has accumulated 1788 runs at an average of 51.08, including five hundreds and nine fifties. He’s also claimed 30 wickets at an average of 29.30 in the last Sheffield Shield season. In the recent Australia A 2-0 series win over India A, he scored 145 runs and picked seven wickets.
“(Webster’s) a special player at the moment. 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.
“He showed his class again this game with valuable runs, first and second innings, and then obviously to take the last two wickets. It was exceptional and he just really wants the ball in those situations. He’s a great guy to have in our group and a real leader.
“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. I think he’s gained the respect of the competition with those seamers, and that probably took maybe a year or two for people to really see that,” said Tasmania captain Jordan Silk to reporters after the game ended in Sydney.
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