Last Updated on 7 days by Charbel Coorey

Beau Webster has been the premier performer in Sheffield Shield cricket over the past few years. As a result, the all-rounder has been called into Australia’s squad for the second Test against India as cover for Mitchell Marsh, who pulled up sore after bowling 17 overs during Australia’s 295-run loss in Perth.

This season alone, Webster has scored 303 runs in four matches at an average of 50.50, and has taken nine wickets at 37.88, including leading Tasmania to a drought-breaking win over New South Wales recently. “Any time I feel like we’re in trouble, I feel like I can throw him the ball and he just seems to be able to create something,” said Tasmania captain Jordan Silk, as quoted by cricket.com.au. “He’s a special player at the moment.”

However, Webster has produced the goods for an extended period, putting him firmly in the selectors’ radar given Cameron Green’s long-term injury and Marsh’s fitness worries.

Beau Webster: Superb in the Sheffield Shield since the start of the 2022/23 season

Here is a look at Beau Webster’s Sheffield Shield numbers since the beginning of the 2022/23 season:

30-year-old Webster was particularly prolific in 2023/24, where he won player of the season. He easily topped the run-scoring chart with 938 at a superb average of 58.62, with six fifties and nine hundreds in 11 matches. He also took 30 wickets at 29.30, becoming the second player in Shield history to score 900 runs and take 30 wickets in the same season.

Webster was strong even if we go back as far as 2021/22. He scored 361 runs in six matches at an average of 51.57, with a top score of 166*.

Should Webster be selected for the Adelaide Test, he will offer Pat Cummins the kind of versatility the team was missing at times in Perth. Webster can bowl both seam and off-spin, and the latter could come in handy if the Adelaide surface takes spin later in the Test.

“I’d be comfortable to do whatever they require; I feel like I’ve done it all in the last 10 years at the top and in the middle,” Webster said, as quoted by cricket.com.au.

“I daresay the role will be somewhere between that five and seven with the bat and some overs as well, predominantly seam up.”

The second Test is a day/night fixture and kicks off on December 6 in Adelaide. Australia are already in must-win territory, as defeat means they will need to win the last three Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Also, victory is vital to their hopes of qualifying for a second-straight World Test Championship Final.