Worth the wait as Webster fills all-round role

Unlike last week's teenage debutant Sam Konstas, Australia's newest Baggy Green Cap recipient Beau Webster is anything but a new kid on the block.

The 31-year-old, who Australia's skipper Pat Cummins confirmed will take the place of fellow allrounder Mitchell Marsh in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series decider against India starting at the SCG on Friday, has more than a decade's first-class experience.

Indeed, the towering Tasmanian graduated to Sheffield Shield ranks in 2014, a season prior to new Test teammate Marnus Labuschagne and a full decade before 19-year-old Konstas debuted at senior level.

But it's only in the past four years that Webster has established himself as a mainstay in Tasmania's Shield line-up, largely due to his evolution from top-order batter who also sent down handy off-spin to hard-hitting middle-order aggressor whose auxiliary skills set is seam bowling.

It's that game-changing batting prowess that has earned Webster Baggy Green Cap number 469 in place of Marsh, whose 73 runs at 10.42 across four Tests of the current NRMA Insurance Series saw him omitted.

In the four years since Webster dropped down the Tasmania batting order and added pace to his bowling repertoire, he has averaged almost 50 with seven centuries and a strike rate around 60.

As Cummins explained today, it's as much the manner in which the reigning Sheffield Shield Player of the Year scores his runs as the total output that has earned him a Test berth at the expense of the incumbent Allan Border Medallist.

And while Cummins hasn't yet decided on whether Webster might be called upon to deliver some spin in addition to his seamers, he holds no doubt as to how the 198cm right-hander will approach his batting.

"If you're going to bat six you're getting picked for your batting which he (Webster) has shown in Shield over the last couple of years where he takes the game on, and he's really changed some games for Tasmania," Cummins said.

"Mitchy (Marsh) hasn't quite got the runs or perhaps wickets he would have liked this series, so we felt like it was time for a freshen up.

"Short turnaround (since Melbourne Test that ended last Monday) so it's always nice to have a fifth bowler, and he (Webster) bowls quite a lot for Tasmania so if we need to call on that we can.

"I'll sit down and work it out today, but particularly that pace bowling Beau's going to be handy and we've got Nathan (Lyon) but also Trav with some handy offies (off-spin) if they are needed."

Webster's elevation means Australia will field three debutants in the course of a single home summer (along with Konstas and Nathan McSweeney) for the first time since Alex Carey, Michael Neser and Scott Boland received their caps during the 2021-22 Ashes.

Cummins conceded he'd not had much to do with Webster until the Tasmanian was called into the Test squad last month, when Marsh pulled up sore following the series opener in Perth.

That's hardly surprising given that, in more than 10 years of interstate representation, the pair have only been on-field opponents in three one-day cup fixtures and a solitary BBL game (at Hobart seven years ago).

"He (Webster) has been one of those star performers with the bat or ball, or in the field," Cummins said at his pre-game media conference at the SCG today.

"He always seems to have a big impact, quite aggressive, can change the game like we've seen Mitch Marsh or Trav Head or Alex Carey do in that middle-order.

"He's been a great personality around the squad, even day five in Melbourne he was itching to get on the field (as substitute fielder).

"It's going to be awesome to see him debut, really love what he's brought to the squad so far."

The excitement of what Webster – who plundered 938 Shield runs and snared 30 wickets last summer, the most productive all-round season since former West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers in 1963-64 – will bring was not confined to Cummins.

Amid the disappointment of learning he had missed Test selection for the first time since being recalled to the Australia line-up during the 2023 Ashes in the UK following almost four years on the outer, Marsh's thoughts turned immediately to his replacement.

Marsh was present at the SCG nets for Australia's optional session this morning, but took no active part while Webster spent some time batting.

Marsh offered his understudy a pat on the back when their paths briefly crossed, and then stopped to sign autographs for fans who had gathered at the ground on Test eve.

"He's really excited for Beau," Cummins said of his close friend Marsh.

"The first thing he said was he can't wait to see Beau go out there and give it a crack.

"He's totally understanding, I think his words were 'not necessarily blindsided'.

"He knows he hasn't scored the runs or the wickets he would have liked, and that makes you vulnerable."

Cummins also pointed out that Marsh's omission does not spell the end of the allrounder's 46-Test career that began in 2014, the same year as Webster's Shield debut.

Marsh remains Australia's T20 captain even though he did not take part in this summer's three-match series against Pakistan, with Josh Inglis filling that role while Test players were involved in preparation for the India assignment.

And while his bowling workloads have been light during recent Test matches, the Australia brainstrust has pointed out that is more of a result of reduced need given the effectiveness of front-line bowlers rather than any inability to shoulder a heavier burden.

Since returning to the team in 2023, Marsh has only been called upon to send down 10 or more overs in the course of an innings once, and that occasion was at Perth in the first game of the current series when he bowled 12 in India's second innings.

With Cameron Green is expected to have recovered from back surgery in time for next summer's home Ashes against England, the need for Marsh to maintain higher bowling loads would be further reduced should he rediscover his batting form.

"We've spoken about it a lot," Cummins said today when asked whether Marsh would need to show an ability to bowl longer spells if he's to win back his Test berth.

"He was in the side this summer for being a top six batter, so that's generally a guiding principle when picking the top-order (though) not always.

"When he's at his best he gets into the side on his batting alone, and his bowling's a bonus.

"We've got guys like Cam Green who will be back in the mix at some point as well so that provides another bowling option.

"The way that Ronnie (men's team coach Andrew McDonald) and myself and the selectors look at it, we love pulling a squad of players together who we think we can call on at different times.

"And we thought the time was right for Mitchy (Marsh) to have a freshen up and miss this one.

"But it doesn't mean he won't be back in that team at some point."

NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series v India

First Test: India won by 295 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: Australia won by 184 runs

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal