Beau Webster keen to play white-ball cricket for Australia

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Beau Webster has his sights set on strengthening his case as a one-day option ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, even as he admits that white-ball cricket has slipped down his priorities with his growing focus on Test cricket.

He will line up for Tasmania in the opening round of the One-Day Cup this week, starting against New South Wales in Sydney on Tuesday before a clash with Victoria in Brisbane on Friday, leading into the Sheffield Shield season in early October.

Webster’s List A numbers remain modest, with a batting average of 30.31 and a strike rate of 77.10, while his lone century came back in 2017 for a Cricket Australia XI when they fielded a development side in the competition.

"I'd love to play white-ball cricket for Australia," Webster told ESPNcricinfo. "Probably more so one-day cricket than T20 at this stage. It just feels a bit like I haven't played it for a long time.

"The last 12 months l've been solely focused on red-ball cricket and that's in county cricket, Shield cricket and Test cricket. It feels like I've hardly hit a white ball and the things that go along with training for white-ball is a lot different than they are for red-ball.

"I feel like my red-ball game's in a really good place and I've got my preparation down to a tee. I suppose that I haven't really thought too much about it (white-ball cricket) but obviously if the opportunity came and they needed what I do, l'd absolutely jump at it and love to represent the country in the colours."

The next men’s 50-over World Cup will take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia during October and November 2027. Webster’s lively medium pace, combined with his ability to handle fast bowling, may prove well-matched to the conditions in Southern Africa.

Australia’s ODI setup is in a period of change, particularly in the batting department, following the retirements of Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell. Aaron Hardie has found it difficult to cement the No. 7 role during recent outings against South Africa. Meanwhile, Webster’s Tasmanian teammate Mitchell Owen was set to play in that series but was ruled out due to concussion.

"I think if you're scoring runs and taking wickets in Test cricket, you're always going to be seen as an option," Webster said. "If you're doing it at that level...there are a lot of transferable skills across from Test cricket to one-day cricket. So I hope I'm in the conversation if I can continue to score runs

in the One-Day Cup for Tasmania and Test level. I hope my name gets thrown around for a potential debut."

In white-ball cricket, Webster has returned to the defending champions Hobart Hurricanes for the BBL. However, if he is involved in the Ashes series, his availability may only come after the final Test, and he acknowledges that breaking into the side will be a tough task.

"I think it's going to be a hard-fought top six to get into," he said. "We've kept the majority of the list from the title-winning team there and everyone wants to bat at Bellerive. It's a great place to bat and we've got some world-class batters in that XI. Hopefully I can be with the Ashes series for all five Tests and then come back to the Hurricanes and play a role if they need me."

--IANS

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