Australia’s home captain Pat Cummins announced on Thursday that all-rounder Beau Webster will take Mitchell Marsh’s spot in the team for the fifth and final Test match against India.
Cummins blamed the 33-year-old Marsh’s dismissal on the fact that he only managed 73 runs in seven innings over four Test matches. So far in the series, he has only bowled 33 overs and taken three wickets.
“We have one change on our side. Beau Webster comes in place of Mitch Marsh. Mitch knows that he hasn’t scored enough runs”. Cummins stated during the news conference before the game.
The 31-year-old Webster has taken 148 wickets and scored 5247 runs in first-class cricket since playing against India in November. Webster averaged more than 55 last season and has been playing well in the Sheffield Shield.
In the last three Test matches, Marsh had only been used for 13 overs. After the initial NRMA Insurance Test in Perth, the 33-year-old Western Australian did experience back issues, but Australian management has subsequently stated that there are no fitness issues with him.
Marsh was in difficulty, though, because of his batting difficulties; in his last five innings, he had scored 9, 5, 4, 2, and 0.
“Mitchy’ obviously hasn’t quite got the runs, and perhaps wickets this series,” Cummins said to reporters on Thursday.
“So we felt like it was time for a freshen up, and Beau’s been great.”
“It’s a shame for Mitchy because we know how much he brings to the team, but I feel like now it’s a good week for Beau to get a chance.”
Despite having a rib ache, Mitchell Starc will play in Sydney.
Cummins remarked, “He was never going to miss this one.” Marsh was not “blindsided” by the decision, according to Cummins, who said Marsh understood it.
“Excited for Beau; the first thing he (Marsh) said was, ‘I can’t wait to see Beau go out there and give it a crack,’’ Cummins stated.
“Particularly here in Australia, I think when a batter misses out or gets dropped, it’s always seen as a big thing.”.
“But the way that (Australia coach Andrew McDonald), and the selectors and I look at it is we love pulling a squad of players together who we can call on at different times.”
Ahead of Friday’s series-deciding fifth Test, Starc had his ribs scanned on Wednesday. Team officials insist that this is standard practice.
Given that Steve Waugh’s final game followed a 1-1 series result against India in 2004, Friday’s Test looks to be Australia’s biggest in Sydney in 21 years.
A triumph at the SCG would guarantee qualification for the June World Test Championship final against South Africa in addition to reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years.
With teenage sensation Sam Konstas the lone player under 30, the SCG match may potentially define the legacy of several Australian teams.
Marsh averaged 10.42 with the bat and 46.33 with the ball for the series, bowled just 16 wicketless overs over the last three Tests after bowling 17 in game one in Perth.
Webster has averaged 57.1 in first-class cricket since March 2022 and has taken 81 wickets at an average of 31.7.
Last year, Webster became the first player since West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers to score 900 runs and take 30 wickets in a Sheffield Shield season, leading Tasmania to the final.
After knocking down the door for the better part of two years, Australian selectors made the difficult decision to replace Marsh with the Tasmanian for the pivotal fifth Test.