Beau Webster has made a strong start with both bat and ball for Tasmania in Australia’s domestic List A season, but his position as an incumbent in Australia’s Test side may be under threat for the first Ashes Test.
Webster made his Test debut earlier this year in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, after Mitchell Marsh was dropped. He made a half-century on debut, as well as seeing Australia over the line with 39 not out in the second innings, and dismissed Shubman Gill. He has been a constant in Australia’s Test side ever since, scoring a half-century in the World Test Championship final and two half-centuries in the West Indies, on a mostly difficult tour for batters. In all, he has four half-centuries from seven Tests.
However, despite scoring 81 for Tasmania in his most recent List A domestic outing, and taking five wickets across two innings so far, his position may be under threat for the first Ashes Test in just over five weeks’ time.
Webster missed the opening round in the Sheffield Shield for Tasmania, having picked up an ankle injury in training. He will also miss the second round, but is expected to return for the third.
Australia have yet to name their squad for the first Ashes Test but have several selection decisions to make. Cameron Green is expected to be back to full bowling capacity, and able to fulfill his role as an all-rounder by the time the Ashes starts. Green played as a batter only in the World Test Championship final and on the tour of West Indies, coming in at No.3, but there could well be a scenario where Green is moved back down the order to allow a specialist to come in further up. That would likely push Webster out of the XI.
One of the selections which could push Webster out of the side would be if Marnus Labuschagne was recalled. The long-term Australia Test No.3 was dropped for the series in the Caribbean, but has been in prolific form on the domestic circuit. He scored 160 for Queensland in their Shield opener, to follow his century in the One Day Cup two weeks before. He scored another List A hundred five days after his Shield innings, meaning he now has three hundreds from his four innings across formats this season.
“When you’re at the top level, you’re fighting to hang on to your spot,” Webster said in Hobart before the start of the Sheffield Shield season. “With all the wonderful cricketers around the country, and especially a guy like Cameron Green, he batted at the top of the order [in West Indies], and didn’t bowl. He’s obviously going to be back bowling this summer, which is going to put a bit more pressure on my spot at No. 6 as the allrounder. But I welcome it.
“I feel like I’ve been in this position before a lot in my career, where I’ve got to score runs to either go to the next level or stay on the team. It’s certainly not unfamiliar. I’m looking forward to once again showing what I can do at [Sheffield] Shield level, and hopefully, be lining up in that first Ashes Test in Perth. It’s going to be a massive summer. I’m sure the team’s going to change a little bit throughout those five Tests. I’m just going to do everything I can to make sure I’m there for all five.”
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