Sydney: Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been dropped for the New Year’s clash against India, with Beau Webster making a debut in the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, starting on Friday.
Speaking to reporters at the SCG on Thursday, captain Pat Cummins confirmed the hosts had made one change to their starting XI following the Boxing Day Test, with Webster coming in for Marsh, who has scored 73 runs at 10.42 in the series.
Webster, who will become Australia’s 469th men’s Test player, has averaged 57.10 in first-class cricket since March 2022, while also picking up 81 wickets at 31.70.
Webster claimed 12 wickets across his last three first-class outings, taking six wickets and making an unbeaten 46 in the most recent Australia A v India A meeting in Melbourne.
“Really 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’. 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 myself look at is we love pulling a squad of players together who we can call on at different times,” Cummins told reporters. IANS
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