Australia all-rounder Beau Webster has admitted that he might not find a place in the playing XI for the first Ashes Test, depending on how the team shapes its batting lineup. Despite the uncertainty, Webster remains optimistic and confident that he can still make a valuable contribution to the series if given an opportunity.
The first Test of the Ashes is set to begin on November 19 in Perth, and the Australian team faces a challenging task in selecting their final XI. With skipper Pat Cummins ruled out due to a back injury, the selectors and team management will have to carefully balance their options before confirming the lineup.
“We’ve obviously got a potential hole around the top of the order there, and see who fills that. If they see me as a pure middle-order, then I’m probably going to get squeezed out. That is what it is.”
“I hope I’m still in the conversation, certainly as a batter only, and if not, if it’s just the makeup of the team, I’ll plug the way back in first-class cricket. There’s a lot of Test cricket coming up in the next two years. I hope I’ll be thereabouts,” Webster was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
“I’d obviously love to be in the XI. I think I’ve got a lot to contribute there, and especially in this Ashes series, I feel like I’m playing the best cricket of my life at the moment. So I certainly want to be there. Sometimes it’s the make-up of the team and the balance and the overs and who bats where. It feels like this series has probably got more questions over that than any before.“
“I think there’s some benefits, no doubt. I think looking back, I did play a lot of cricket in England, and that’s by choice. I play my best cricket when I’m constantly playing. To have a three-week gap there, it was nice to get back in the gym and do some running and probably freshen the body up physically, ready to go for a big summer,” he added.
