Gary Sobers’ 60-year-old all-rounder feat is being matched as Beau Webster is set to make his Test debut against India in the Sydney Test.
Mitchell Marsh’s recent performances have been under heavy scrutiny. With no runs coming off his bat and his bowling failing to meet expectations, questions loomed over his spot in the playing XI. Despite being last year’s Allan Border Medallist as Australia’s best cricketer, Marsh has finally been dropped, paving the way for all-rounder Beau Webster to take his place for the Sydney Test against India.
Webster, who has been in remarkable form in the Sheffield Shield, was already in the squad. Calls for his inclusion in the playing XI had been growing louder. Finally, after scoring over 5,000 runs and taking nearly 150 wickets in 93 first-class matches, the 31-year-old is set to fulfill his dream of receiving Australia’s iconic Baggy Green cap.
Webster’s performance in the last Sheffield Shield season was extraordinary—he scored 930 runs at an average of 58.62 and took 30 wickets. This rare double of 900 runs and 30 wickets in a single season had only been achieved previously by the legendary Gary Sobers in the 1963–64 season. In the current Shield season, Webster has already scored 303 runs at an average of 50.50 in four matches and has taken 9 wickets.
A few weeks ago, Webster showed his class against India ‘A’ in two unofficial Tests, scoring 46 and an unbeaten 61 in two innings and taking 6 wickets in the second match.
Meanwhile, Marsh has had a torrid time in the ongoing series against India. In four matches, he has managed just 73 runs at an average of 10.72, with a solitary score of 47 in the first Test. His remaining six innings saw him fail to reach double digits. After taking three wickets in the first Test, Marsh went wicketless in the next three matches.
Despite his struggles, Marsh remains immensely popular within the Australian team. He shares close friendships with several teammates, including captain Pat Cummins. Dropping Marsh was no easy decision, but Cummins confirmed that Marsh understood the situation.
“Mitch (Marsh) hasn’t scored as many runs or taken as many wickets as he’d have liked. We felt it was time to try something new, and Beau (Webster) was already in the squad and in fantastic form. Mitch understands that it’s the right time to give Beau a chance. He’s genuinely excited for Beau and told us he can’t wait to see him do great things on the field,” said Cummins.
Australia received another boost as Mitchell Starc was cleared to play in the Sydney Test after overcoming injury concerns. On the other hand, India will be without pacer Akash Deep due to injury, with Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna expected to replace him.
The Sydney Test begins on Friday, with Australia leading the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series 2-1 and aiming to reclaim the title.
