IND vs AUS: Australia today decided to ax all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, in a big call before the final Test with India in Sydney, opting for Bo Webster in his place. A result of Marsh’s continuous underperformances with bat and ball in the series was his exclusion, said selectors, adding that this move “would give an opportunity to impress” young talent Webster, whose recent form in domestic cricket has been exceptional.
A Difficult Decision for Pat Cummins and the Australian Selection Panel
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Australian captain Pat Cummins spoke to the media a day before the Sydney Test to confirm the changes in the team. He said that there would be only one change in the team: Mitchell Marsh would be replaced by Bo Webster. Although Marsh’s exclusion was the talk of the town, Cummins also confirmed that Mitchell Starc, who had been suffering from back issues, was fit to play.
It was not an easy decision to drop Marsh, considering the strong camaraderie between him and Cummins, both on the field and off. However, Cummins explained that despite Marsh’s challenges with his form, the time had come to refresh the team.
“Mitchell obviously hasn’t scored as many runs or taken as many wickets in this series as he would have liked,” Cummins said. “We felt it was time to freshen up, and Bo has been fantastic.” While acknowledging that it was tough for Marsh, Cummins made it clear that the team felt Webster deserved the chance based on his recent performances.
Marsh has not been too effective with his bat, but he still remains a favorite within the team, and Cummins was of the opinion that Marsh had accepted the news pretty well. “He was completely okay with it,” Cummins said. “His words were not very surprising. He knows he hasn’t got the runs or wickets he would have wanted, so that makes you vulnerable. But he’s really excited for Bo.”
Mitchell Marsh’s Underwhelming BGT Series
Mitchell Marsh has had his performance, across the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy far from what he or the team would have hoped. In the first four Tests, Marsh managed just 73 runs at an average of 10.42 with a top score of 47 in the second innings of the Perth Test time when the game was effectively decided. His work with the ball was equally unimpressive; he bowled only 33 overs in seven innings of the series and failed to make a dent. Since his initial success, when he took 2 for 12, Marsh has taken just one wicket in his last 28 overs, conceding 127 runs.
These lackluster stats have called for his inclusion into the side, and it did not take too long before the selectors realized they had to look elsewhere.
Although it is unfortunate that he had to be omitted from the team, his performance was such that there was every chance of it.
Bo Webster: An excellent contender
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This is quite different from Marsh because Bo Webster has been outstanding on the domestic front. He was the leading run-scorer in Sheffield Shield last season with 938 runs at an average of 58.62. Apart from batting, Webster has also done very well with the ball, taking 30 wickets at an average of 29.30. His all-round performance was historically important, as he became only the second player in Shield history, after Sir Garfield Sobers in 1963-64, to score over 900 runs and take more than 30 wickets in the same season.
This summer, Webster has carried on well with 303 runs at 50.50 with a century and a half-century. Behind the wickets, he has claimed nine wickets in 96.5 overs at 37.88. His performances have rewarded him a place in the Australian Test team to play against Australia in the Sydney Test where he will hope to translate his success in the domestic arena into the international one.
Apart from red-ball cricket, Webster was doing well in the limited-overs formats. In the Dean Jones Trophy, he produced a stunning spell of 6 wickets for 17 runs in a match and impressed in Australia A’s recent tour of India where he scored a half-century and took three-wicket hauls in two four-day games.
Australia’s Line-Up for Sydney IND vs AUS Test
With the changes that have been made to the personnel, here is what the Australian XI looks like for the final Test against India:
– Usman Khawaja
– Marnus Labuschagne
– Steven Smith
– Travis Head
– Bo Webster
– Alex Carey (Wicketkeeper)
– Pat Cummins
– Mitchell Starc
– Nathan Lyon
– Scott Boland
It is a huge step for Webster, who will be watched with great interest as he steps into international cricket after quite a brilliant domestic season.
It is a change in the test lineup of the Australians, as they dropped Mitchell Marsh after a tough series of tests. Holding immense value for the side in the past, this move also gets Bo Webster an opportunity to show their skills at the test level.
Webster gets one last chance to enter international cricket; his all-round skills are precisely what Australia may need in the final Test against India. Significant faith has been put on him by the selectors after he went about fairly splendidly while playing for New South Wales. Now, it is up to Webster to translate that success into the Test arena.
At last, although a decision to leave Marsh out has not been an easy one, bringing Webster on to the side certainly gives hope to Australia. His debut test is surely going to make the Aussies stand with a big focus and all the hope.
ALSO READ: BGT: Mitchell Starc’s Availaibility In Doubt For Sydney Test
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