Why return of Pat Cummins could boost Beau Webster’s chance of Test recall if Usman Khawaja is axed

For all the debate about whether Cameron Green and Webster could fit into the same Australian side, the man known as the “Slug from Snug″⁣ could feel hard done by given his encouraging start to Test cricket.

Before the summer, Webster believed he could still play a role as the incumbent, though Australia preferred Green at No.6 for the opening Test in Perth as he returned to bowling.

“If I were picking the team, I’d certainly be there, but that’s not the luxury the players have,” Webster said on SEN Radio in October.

Webster’s Test batting and bowling averages of 34.6 and 23.3, respectively, stack up well for an all-rounder, particularly given most of those matches were played on bowler-friendly surfaces.

By comparison, after seven Tests, Green averaged 28.8 with the bat and 27.9 with the ball. Webster has a better batting and bowling average than Steve Waugh, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson and Mitch Marsh at the same stage in their careers.

Was picking Inglis over Webster the right call? Both sides of the argument hold up.

Neither player has dominated the Sheffield Shield this season: Inglis made 4 and 28 against Queensland, while Webster logged scores of 11, 6, 13 and 8 for Tasmania.

Inglis was surprisingly listed at No.7 in Brisbane, with McDonald later explaining the move was designed so Green and Alex Carey could bat closer together at No.5 and No.6. It was certainly a low position for a specialist batsman coming off a century for Australia A as an opener against the Lions.

Inglis struck 23 off 25 balls in the evening session on day two before Ben Stokes bowled him – a small slice of revenge for the England skipper after the Australian’s brilliant direct hit run out from side-on a night earlier.

Inglis faced the second-fewest deliveries of Australia’s 11 batsmen in the first innings.

There were times when Australia could have used a few Webster overs in Brisbane, but as another right-arm pacer, it may have offered too similar a picture for England.

One factor plays squarely into Webster’s favour for Adelaide if Khawaja is omitted: Cummins.

The captain didn’t play in Brisbane because he would have been restricted in his workload. While he is expected to be fit in Adelaide, having Webster as seam bowling cover and slotting into the middle order may be viewed as a more secure option than selecting Inglis as a batsman only.

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Cummins has played 28 home Tests with a red ball but only two in Adelaide – against India in 2018 and the West Indies in 2024 – bowling 59 overs across those couple of matches. The number of overs Cummins bowls will be something to keep an eye on in his first professional match since July.

Webster boasts a marginally better first-class batting average at Adelaide Oval than Inglis (25.8 to 19.8) and outscored him (74 runs to 17) when they last played together in the West Indies earlier this year in Barbados.

Since his superb maiden hundred on debut against Sri Lanka, Inglis has averaged 10 in four Test innings. Dropping Inglis again after one Test – he didn’t play the second fixture in the West Indies when Smith came back from injury – might be seen as harsh.

Cummins’ return as captain also ensures he has a greater voice at the selection table. He is great mates with Marsh but was part of the push to leave him out and hand Webster a debut in the Sydney Test against India earlier this year.

Khawaja’s selection feels like an all-or-nothing call on his Test future. But if Inglis is preferred again, Webster will be left wondering what more he needs to do to earn another shot in the baggy green.