Beau Webster Set to Step in for Mitchell Marsh in the 5th Test Against India

Starting January 3, 2025, the Sydney Cricket Ground is going to be extremely busy because Australia is getting ready to face off against India in the fifth and vitally key test. The team is bringing in a new man, Beau Webster, for his first test game ever, and he's taking over for Mitchell Marsh. This change is very big news.

Since Australia is ahead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series with a 2-1 lead, they're excited and ready to snatch their first series win in India in more than ten years.

“Beau’s story is a great one of resilience… I think he’ll have the backing of an entire state over the next five days”

Terrific to chat with some of those closest to Beau Webster ahead of his Test debut tomorrow.@TheMercurySport

STORY ➡️ https://t.co/l0QcRp9yPT pic.twitter.com/yflVqciAal

— Ryan Rosendale (@RosendaleRyan) January 2, 2025

Why Mitchell Marsh Is Out

The selectors saw that Mitchell Marsh wasn't doing too well in the series, only scoring 73 runs and not doing much with his bowling. They think this is a good opportunity for Beau Webster to step in and display his abilities at the international level.

Pat Cummins, our captain, said Mitch Marsh is still vitally important for the team, especially when we are discussing the short games but he also mentioned that adding Webster to the team will make things better. And he made sure everyone knew this is not farewell for Marsh in test cricket at all.

ALSO READ:Pat Cummins Reveals Australia’s Strategy to Tackle Jasprit Bumrah in Sydney Test

Spotlight on Beau Webster

Beau Jacob Webster has been making waves in domestic cricket, which earned him this debut. His versatility is a huge asset, as he bats right-handed and can bowl both off-spin and medium pace.

Domestic Career Highlights

Webster achieved it in the 2023-24 Sheffield Shield season, making him the second individual ever to hit more than 900 runs and take 30 wickets in just one season. Playing for Tasmania in the local games, he's also been doing really good for the Melbourne Stars in the Bash league.

First-Class Career Stats

Matches: 93

Runs Scored: 5,297

Batting Average: 37.83

Centuries/Half-Centuries: 12/24

Wickets Taken: 148

Bowling Average: 37.39

Best Bowling Figures: 6/100

Webster's all-around skills and impressive form make him a perfect fit for this high-pressure match against India.

Australia's Squad for the 5th Test

Most of the squad remains unchanged, with Webster being the only newcomer. The confirmed playing XI is:

Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

Despite the middle-order batting collapse, the hosts Australia are still in the controlling position at the end of the fourth day of the Melbourne Test. Now, a big challenge is waiting for the visitors India for the fifth day of the Test match.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was out for 114 runs after review drama

India started the fourth day at 358/9. The drama started very early in the morning when Aussie skipper Pat Cummins asked for a review despite the third umpire already checking and confirming not out on India’s last man Mohammed Siraj. Three balls later, Nitish Kumar Reddy lost his wicket after scoring 114 runs as India were all out for 369 runs.

Also Watch: Commentary box reaction after knowing "Nathan Lyon is a taklu"

Indian bowlers dominated the first half of the Australian second innings

Australia started their second innings of the Test match with a lead of 105 runs. Jasprit Bumrah bowled Sam Konstas for eight runs, while Mohammed Siraj was in a good rhythm and bowled the other opener Usman Khawaja for 21 runs, who was earlier dropped for one run by Yashasvi Jaiswal.

In the second session, India made a strong comeback in the game when the Australian middle-order batting was clueless. The hosts went down from 80/2 to 91/6, where Siraj took the wicket of Steven Smith (13), and Bumrah dismissed Travis Head (1), Mitchell Marsh (0), and Alex Carey (2).

Jaiswal's drops cost India

In the second session, Jaiswal dropped two more chances, which cost the visitors heavily. After failing to hold Marnus Labuschagne’s regulation catch at the gully, Jaiswal gave life to Aussie skipper Pat Cummins at the silly point in the final over of the session. 

Cummins and Lyon added crucial runs after Labuschagne’s 70 runs

In the last session, Labuschange was ultimately dismissed by Mohammed Siraj after scoring 70 runs. He had a crucial 57-run partnership with Cummins for the seventh wicket. 

Soon, Mitchell Starc (1) was run out brilliantly by the wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant with an incredible throw. Before Cummins was out for 41 runs, he had a 17-run partnership with Nathan Lyon for the ninth wicket.

Indian bowlers fought hard but failed to pick up the last wicket of the innings. In the final over of the day, it looked like Bumrah dismissed Nathan Lyon as KL Rahul managed to take a catch at the third slip, but a no-ball from the bowler ruled out that dismissal. 

Lyon and Scott Boland have already set a 55-run partnership for the unbroken last wicket. While Lyon scored 41 not out, Boland scored 10 not out. 

Australia ended the day with a score of 228/9, as the hosts already earned a handsome-looking lead of 333 runs. Jasprit Bumrah picked up four wickets (4/56), while Mohammed Siraj got three wickets (3/66) and Ravindra Jadeja claimed one wicket (1/33).

While the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is at its peak, visitors India had a great first session of the second day of the crucial Brisbane Test match. After Steven Smith-Marnus Labuschagne's partnership frustrated the Indian pacers, Mohammed Siraj’s bails swap trick quickly brought luck in the visitors’ favour. 

Jasprit Bumrah provided a strong start

India started the second day of the Brisbane Test strongly as the pacer Jasprit Bumrah dismissed both the Aussie openers cheaply. After Usman Khawaja was caught behind for 21 runs, new opener Nathan McSweeney once again couldn’t find his rhythm and was caught at the second slip after scoring only nine runs off 49 balls.

Although Australia lost both their openers in the first half an hour, experienced Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne were controlling the Indian pacers. While the Indian pacers set the tough questions for the Aussie batters, the experienced duo was handling the situations despite some hard moments. 

Watch: Teammates set emotional farewell on Tim Southee's last Test

The bails swap drama between Mohammed Siraj and Marnus Labuschagne

It was the first ball of the 33rd over of the innings, when the Indian pacer Siraj had an lbw appeal against Steven Smith, but the umpire rejected that. While Smith and Labuschagne had a leg-bye run on that delivery, Labuschagne faced the next ball. It was a dot ball, and Siraj then walked towards the batter’s stump and switched the bails of the wicket. While one bail fell down, Labuschagne brought the bails to their original position.

THE BAILS EXCHANGE....!!!! 😄

- Siraj & Labuschagne changing the bails, A fun moment at Gabba.#INDvAUS #AUSvIND #Gabba pic.twitter.com/fg0MDqDXWb

— RAFI AN (@Rafi_anee) December 15, 2024

Once again the bails swap trick brought luck for the bowling team, as in the next over, Labuschagne was caught at the slip after Kohli completed his second catch of the day. Nitish Kumar Reddy got that crucial wicket as Australia scored 75/3. Labuschagne was out for 12 runs off 55 balls. At the lunch, the hosts scored 104/3 in 43 overs. 

Nitish Kumar Reddy gets Labuschagne followed by an aggressive celebration of Virat Kohli 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JPVBNwriPe

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 15, 2024

The pink-ball Test in Adelaide has kicked off in full swing and plenty of drama has unfolded on day one already. In a bizarre twist of events, Marnus Labuschagne decided to pull out at the last minute after being distracted by what's described as "beer snake".

See also: Watch: Pink-ball Test witnesses a rare floodlight blackout in Adelaide

Watch how the incident unfolded

• Man runs behind the sight screen with a beer snake
• Marnus pulls away while Siraj is running in
• Siraj is not happy

All happening at Adelaide Oval 🫣 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/gRburjYhHg

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 6, 2024

The incident came to light during the 25th over of the Australian innings in the final session on day one. Siraj was running in to bowl the fifth ball of the over. But that is when Marnus spotted a spectator holding on to a tower of multiple beer glasses stacked on each other. 

Funnily enough, the movement occurred in front of the sightscreen which immediately threw the 30-year-old off his normal stance position. Moments before Siraj could enter his delivery stride, Marnus pulled out causing the former to vent out his frustration. In response, he threw the ball towards Marnus but the ball missed him as well as the stumps by a considerable distance. 

The umpire rightfully intervened and signaled dead ball but by that time the two players had already exchanged a few words. The frustration from Siraj was justified. A bowler works tirelessly to run all the way through to the crease but all that energy evaporates in thin air when they are forced to halt just moments before delivering the ball.

The commentators on air also voiced their frustration on this incident and called out the security personnel for not adopting adequate preventive measures to let this happen.

Australia in total command on day one

Starc's career-best 6-48 skittled India for 180 despite late heroics from Nitish Reddy who scored a blazing 42 (54). In response, Australia navigated a difficult passage of play under lights with the help of McSweeney and Labuschagne who finished unbeaten on 38 & 20 respectively to raise Australia's first innings score to healthy 86-1 at the close of play on day one. 

While the key pacer Josh Hazlewood has already been ruled out from the upcoming Adelaide Test against India, the tense Australian camp has got new major headaches.   

Adelaide Oval is set to host the important day-night pink-ball Test match between Australia and India from December 6. It will be the second Test of the five-match Test series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where the visitors India are leading the series by 1-0 after winning the Perth Test by 295 runs.

Pacer Josh Hazlewood has already been ruled out from the Adelaide Test due to a low-grade left-side injury. Moreover, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh’s fitness has raised questions about his availability for the upcoming Adelaide Test.  

See Also: Travis Head names one of the greatest pacers of the game

Steven Smith was injured at practice

Now, according to the media reports, the experienced Australian batter Steven Smith got an injury during a recent practice. In the net practice, Smith was reportedly batting with Marnus Labuschagne when one ball stuck on Smith’s right hand. Soon, the team physio attended to check the former Aussie captain’s issue. Smith's net session was cut at that moment. 

Later, Smith returned to the net only for a short period. However, there is no official news or assessment about Smith’s new injury. Australia are surely hoping for no more major injury issues. 

Marnus Labuschagne was also hurt

On the other hand, Marnus Labuschagne, who is under pressure for his poor batting form, also got an injury when the assistant coach Daniel Vettori’s one rising delivery hit him. However, soon he prepared himself to continue his batting practice. 

The upcoming Adelaide Test will be the day-night pink ball Test match. It will be Australia's 13th pink-ball Test match. After winning all their first 11 pink-ball Tests, Australia finally suffered their first pink-ball Test defeat last January when West Indies beat them by eight runs in the Gabba Test. 

South Australia 314 (Hunt 136, McInerney 51, Whitney 5-57) and 0 for 1 lead Queensland 308 (Peirson 94, McDermott 52) by six runs

Young Pacer Tom Whitney etched his name in Queensland's Sheffield Shield record books, before helping them with the bat in their 1st innings.

Whitney became the first Queenslander in 38 years to claim a five-wicket haul on debut with his 5 for 60 and created history. South Australia were dismissed for 314 on Day Two in Brisbane, Whitney also contributed with the bat to help Queensland score 308 in reply.

South Australia lost the opener and first-inning century scorer Henry Hunt on the first ball of the second innings to Michael Neser.

Late drama! After scoring 94, Pierson takes a stunning catch from a Neser outswinger to dismiss Hunt on the first ball of the innings! #SheffieldShield pic.twitter.com/VTd8HmA25o

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 21, 2024

Jimmy Peirson's counter-attacking 94 with the bat helped Queensland reach a total of 308. It was Whitney's day as he came in to bat at 271 for 9 and scored an unbeaten 24 runs off 11 balls which included five boundaries.

Whitney picked up wickets of Nathan McAndrew and Wes Agar on Monday morning, after picking up three wickets on Sunday. These five wickets make this 21-year-old Queenslander in history to take a five-wicket haul on debut, and the first since former police officer Mick Polzin in 1986-87.

Michael Neser picked up 3 for 61, which includes the crucial wicket of Henry Hunt after the opener was about to carry his bat in the innings. In reply, Queensland's Top order failed to make their mark as the Test opener Usman Khawaja failed for a duck to Nathan McAndrew. His partner Matt Renshaw was also dismissed by LBW to Jordan Buckingham for the score of 2. Skipper Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed for 26 off 57 by Jordan Buckingham.

From 80 for 5 Queensland recovered themselves as Ben McDermott scored 52 off 99, and the 97-run partnership between Michael Neser and Jimmy Peirson for the seventh wicket. The wicketkeeper batter failed to score a century, as he was run out by hesitating for a second run with Michael Swepson.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season has been going on in full swing, where the 30th match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, April 15 was seen the flood of runs. SRH posted the highest total ever scored in the IPL – 287/3 in their 20 overs and emerged victorious by 25 runs, courtesy of a brilliant performance from their Australian opener, Travis Head.

Travis Head scored a ton

Following the match, Australian speedster Pat Cummins, who is leading SRH, posted a photo on his Instagram with his teammate Travis Head, who scored the match-winning hundred as well. Cummins captioned the post, “287 runs in a T20 🤯 🤯 🤯”. However, Veteran Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne, who is not a part of the IPL 2024 season, commented on the post.

Labuschagne commented on the post, “Wow 🤯🤯”, expressing his awe at the high-scoring game. However, Pat Cummins took a hilarious dig at Labuschagne, replying, “@marnus3 you’d clear the fence here at Bangalore.” The fun banter between the two Aussies showed the camaraderie they share off the cricket field.

After being put in to bat first, SRH players took on the inexperienced RCB bowling attack, posting a massive total. Head was the star, smashing a breathtaking 102 off just 41 balls, which included nine fours and eight sixes. The wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen also played a swashbuckling knock 67 off 31 balls, including two fours and seven sixes.

ALSO READ: Zaheer Khan shares MS Dhoni’s plans after IPL 2024

SRH are in good form this season

In response, RCB too tried their best and gave a commendable fight. Openers Virat Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis added an 80-run opening partnership before Dinesh Karthik took the game deep and scored a blistering 83 off 35 balls, including five fours and seven sixes. However, their effort went in vain as they fell short by 25 runs, finishing their innings on 262/7.

Pat Cummins said after the game: “Wish I was a batter. Wonderful game of cricket. Amazing scenes. Good fun. You try your best. If you bowl an over of 7 or 8, you can have an impact on the game. I have given up trying to read the wicket. Chinnaswamy looked dry. Really happy. Four wins now. The batters have gone about it having a smile on their faces.”

Travis Head, the Player of the Match said after the game: “Had some food, had a shower. Exciting game again after the Mumbai game. Played beautifully. We thought we had to adapt in the first six overs. But we had the batting order and they had the license to after the bowlers. We compliment each other well. He is a young guy. We fed off each other’s confidence. Pleased with how I hit the ball today.”

Australian cricket stalwarts Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne are gearing up for Sheffield Shield participation this week following their return from the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023.

In addition, all-rounder Cameron Green is poised to feature for Western Australia against Queensland, embarking on his journey to reclaim a spot in the Test side. Carey, omitted from the one-day squad after the World Cup clash between India and Pakistan, is eager to find his form as he faces Victoria in Adelaide ahead of the Test series against Pakistan.

Carey’s recent performances in the Ashes were marked by scores of 8, 5, 20, 10, and 28, following his notable fifty in the World Test Championship final against India and a crucial half-century in the victorious match against England at Edgbaston. Despite being dropped from the World Cup playing XI after the initial match, Carey remains determined to make a strong comeback as he takes on the wicketkeeping duties for South Australia against Victoria at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, preparing for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth on December 14.

See Also:Tim Southee anticipates spin dominance in Bangladesh Test matches

Labuschagne, who made a remarkable return to the ODI team post his exclusion from the World Cup squad, is set to face Green for Queensland in an effort to hone his red-ball skills before the Test matches.

Meanwhile, Green, who featured prominently in three matches during Australia’s triumphant World Cup campaign, has also secured a spot in the Playing XI to face Pakistan in Canberra next month. This selection hints at a preference from national selectors for West Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh to claim the No.6 spot in the first Test against Pakistan.

Exciting news for Brisbane Heat fans as Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne are set to showcase their skills in the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) season opener. Both players, who had outstanding performances in the World Test Championship, the Ashes, and Australia’s recent World Cup triumph, will be a thrilling sight for home fans at the beginning of the season.

Expressing their enthusiasm, the Heat team acknowledges the passion Usman and Marnus have for playing with the Heat. Gratitude is extended to Cricket Australia for assisting in confirming the availability of these star players for the BBL opener.

See Also:Reports: Senior Players Positioned to Represent India ‘A’ for Red-Ball Practice Leading up to South Africa Tests

However, Brisbane Heat will miss the contributions of Matthew Renshaw, Nathan McSweeney, Jimmy Peirson, and Michael Neser, all selected for the Prime Minister’s XI squad in a warm-up match against Pakistan ahead of the Test series. On a positive note, the Heat can count on their three draft picks – Sam Billings, Colin Munro, and Paul Walter – who are ready for selection.

Despite a busy schedule with the World Cup and a subsequent T20I series against India, World Cup winners Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are expected to join the Melbourne Stars, potentially even playing in the opening match. The Stars will also benefit from the availability of Pakistani players Haris Rauf and Usama Mir. Notably, Rauf withdrew from the Pakistan Test team but is committed to participating in the BBL.

Batters doing well in the subcontinent is as tough as task as ever. To do so on the first time is even more difficult. From Australia’s point of view, they have Steve Smith who has done really well for them in India, in the past. The batters around him though have not been a consistent with the case of brilliance from the likes of Renshaw, Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb in the past.

This time around though, the batting line-up surely looks more promising. Along with Steve Smith, Australia has Marnus Labuschagne, and Usman Khawaja, who have upped their games against spin and proved themselves in the subcontinent in recent times. Coming to Marnus Labuschagne, his sample space in the subcontinent is not too big, but his performances are proof of his potential.

In 5 Tests in the subcontinent last year, Marnus Labuschagne has managed to find a century and a 90. The other games saw him make some low-scores, but two good knocks and some fluency are enough for him to believe he can make things happen in the subcontinent.

Touring India and the other parts of the subcontinent though are two different things. In Pakistan, Marnus Labuschagne encountered some flat tracks while spin was not as extravagant as normally expected in Asia. Sri Lanka did spin, but the quality of bowlers in Sri Lanka and India can leave some discussions on the difficulty.

When it comes to India, Marnus Labuschagne will have a huge challenge of tackling Ravichandran Ashwin in conditions that support him exceptionally. He has faced Ashwin in the past, when Ashwin was dismantling the Australian line-up in Australia two years ago. In that series as well, Labuschagne had a nice battle with Ashwin and compared his battle to a game of chess with the off-spinner.

See Also: Rohit Sharma Changes His ODI Template to Ease Pressure on His Partner (cricketwinner.com)

The honors were shared with Ashwin dismissing him twice. However, Marnus Labuschagne has conceded that his battle then resulted in him looking to further improve his game. Along with Ashwin though, Labuschagne has some challenges which could be greater. Facing the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in their home conditions is just as tough.

Ravindra Jadeja in particular can be a handful. With his pace and accuracy, and a rough likely outside Labuschagne’s leg-stump, the challenge only grows. Labuschagne’s presence in the line-up though, despite all the challenges continues to add promise. He is close to averaging 60 in Test Cricket, has a technique similar to Steve Smith, and could be the perfect support as Australia look to win a Test series in India after 18 years.