Australia all-rounder aims to prove Ashes worth in Sheffield Shield

Australia all-rounder Beau Webster is eager to keep himself in Ashes contention by continuing to pile on performances at home, starting with the Sheffield Shield.

The 30-year-old has made a positive start to his Test career, scoring four half-centuries in seven Tests played on difficult surfaces. However, Webster knows there's no certainty at the top level of the game. "When you're at the top level, you're scrapping just to hang on to your spot," Webster said on Hobart after returning from a county stint following the West Indies Tests.

The Tasmanian all-rounder is aware of the competition, especially with Cameron Green. The tall right-hander believes Green's return to full bowling duties this summer could put the spotlight back on him, fighting for a spot in Australia's middle-order. "With all the wonderful cricketers around the country, and especially a guy like Cameron Green... he's obviously going to be back bowling this summer, which will put a little bit more pressure on my spot at No. 6 as the all-rounder. But I welcome it."

Runs in the Shield will be key for the all-rounder’s Ashes ambitions

Selectors will also need to navigate the balance of Marnus Labuschagne’s role, with the seasoned batter prepared to bounce around the order to fit in the XI. That flexibility, along with Green's return, means that Webster could perhaps be the most debated position of the Australian setup as they prepare for a five-Test Ashes series kick-starting in Perth on November 21.

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For Webster, it is about taking on the domestic red-ball scene in the meantime. This has given Webster hope with four Shield matches to play and an enormous opportunity to enhance his credentials. "I feel like I've been in this position many times in my career, where I've needed to score runs to either get to the next level or maintain my position on the team. It's certainly not new. I'm really looking forward to showing what I can do again at Shield level and hopefully lining up in the first Ashes Test in Perth.”

The all-rounder has a realistic mindset about his record to date. While he has produced gutsy contributions, he still does not have a maiden Test hundred. He thinks a hundred would be a good head of selection. "I feel like I have scored some tough runs. But I don't have a hundred next to my name, which I would have preferred. I feel like I was batting as well as I have in a number of those innings. I feel like I have the tools to be successful this summer in the Ashes with what England will probably throw at me."

Mitchell Starc had already celebrated his milestone 100th Test and 400th wicket this year – which Ricky Ponting deemed a legacy for Australian cricket – but the focus now shifts to the next evolution of cricketers, who are trying to seize their own moment in the spotlight. 

For Webster, the formula to be selected is evident: runs, consistency, and fighting spirit in the Shield to get the selectors to pick him. If he does do that, the Ashes would be a career-high point for Webster to really prove himself.