Here’s an interesting who-am-I question related to a cricketer. ‘I used to bowl off-spin until the 2020-21 domestic season. Now, I have shifted to mostly bowling seam-up. I was the top run-getter in the Sheffield Shield during the 2023-24 season. My performances with both the bat and ball were one of the key reasons for Tasmania reaching the summit clash of that tournament.
‘Even during the ongoing Sheffield Shield, my average with the bat is around 50. I was drafted into the Australian Test set-up as an injury cover for Mitchell Marsh before the Adelaide Test against India. Now, I will replace the same cricketer in the playing XI, for the SCG Test.’
The answer to the question is Beau Webster. At the age of 31, the all-rounder is definitely a late bloomer. Over his first eight Sheffield Shield seasons, not once did Webster’s average cross 40. Since the commencement of the 2021-22 Sheffield Shield, he has averaged over 40 during each of those first-class tournaments, including thrice over 50. So, what was the turning point of his first-class career? Perhaps it was that unbeaten 166 against New South Wales in March 2022 that boosted his confidence. It was an innings where he was at his attacking best, collecting 21 boundaries and six sixes.
The salient features of his batting are brutal pull shots, supplemented by the cover drive and cut. He is quite well-known for his hitting prowess, exemplified by the monstrous shot that smashed into the roof of the SCG’s Bill O’Reilly Stand, while facing Sydney Thunder in the 2023 Big Bash League.
Earlier in 2023, he had also notched up an unbeaten hundred, batting at No. 6 against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. After essaying that superlative knock, Webster also had the vision to continue batting at that slot. Jeff Vaughan, the Tasmania head coach, agreed to his request. Since then, he has made that position his own.
Let’s shift our focus to his seam bowling. Here’s what Webster told Cricket Australia’s website about adding another string to his bow. “I thought there (wouldn’t) be any harm in adding another string, bowling some seam-up and using my height – especially at Bellerive where it’s notoriously seam-friendly – to try and give us that extra option in both picking the team and for the captain to use his bowlers.
“So, I did it and I did it properly finally, rather than just doing bits and pieces and giving up after a month or two with a sore back.”
“While it was a switch that now requires longer and more gruelling training days (“bowling eight overs into a 45-minute hit, 45-minute slip-catching followed by strength stuff”) to get his body into shape, his sacrifice instantly paid off. If you zoom in on his skills, Webster is a seam bowler who mostly bowls the nip-backer. He can also extract some bounce with his high arm action and 6’6″ frame.
There is no guarantee that Webster’s traits would be an upgrade when compared to Marsh. However, he has been churning out truckloads of runs in first-class cricket and also been a useful performer with the ball. The time has come for him to don the coveted Baggy Green.
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