Beau Webster shone in his debut test match for Australia. Selected ahead of Mitch Marsh, Webster scored a half-century in the first innings and scored the winning runs. Furthermore, a rebuild will be required with the vast majority of Australia’s squad in their thirties.
Beau Webster dismantles Indian players
When it was announced that Australia was looking to drop Mitch Marsh for his poor form, it opened the door for Beau Webster. The Tasmanian is averaging fifty in this year’s Sheffield Shield tournament. Webster arrived at the crease with Australia teetering at 39/4 but looked assured from the outset. Given the form of Jasprit Bumrah Webster, he looked solid in his defence and punished the Indian bowling attack when they missed their lengths. A punch off the back foot allowed the thirty-one-year-old to bring up his maiden half-century on debut.
However, it wasn’t just with the bat; Beau Webster also shone with the ball. With the aggressive nature of Yashavi Jaiswal and Rishab Pant, Webster bowled with a lot of control. This allowed Pat Cummins to rotate his attack to blunt the Indian batsmen. However, Webster was helped by the surface of the pitch, which offered excessive bounce and sideways movement.
Ageing Australian squad needs rebuilding
Traditionally, Australia has had a strong cricket team. Players such as Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, and Adam Gilchrist have all paved the way for future Australian cricket players. This Australian team has been very successful; they are the current World Test champions and are set to defend their crown against South Africa in June. Most of the Australian squad are in their thirties, but there doesn’t seem to be a rebuilding soon.
This graphic shows that younger players aren’t given the chance to freshen the squad up and be given opportunities. Only Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Scott Boland, and Beau Webster can break into this test side. Whilst all this is happening, England is reshaping their squad. Players such as Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith, and Jacob Bethell have all been given opportunities and debuts in the last seven months. Given how dominant this team has been over the past few years, the Australian selectors may be looking to rebuild after this year’s Ashes series in Australia.
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