Webster 'brilliant' in county debut for Warwickshire

Allrounder scooped a six over Jonny Bairstow's head as he tunes up for next month's WTC final

Beau Webster did his Test retention hopes no harm as the Australian allrounder played a vital counter-attacking hand in his return to the UK's County Championship on Saturday.

Webster struck a run-a-ball 85 for Warwickshire on day two of their first-class contest with the Jonny Bairstow-captained Yorkshire, rescuing the visitors to have them in a strong position to secure their second Division One win of the season.

Warwickshire slumped to 7-163 early in their first-innings reply to Yorkshire's 205 before Webster helped add 90 for the final three wickets to lift his side to a 48-run lead at Headingley.

While the Tasmanian shone in his first three Tests last summer, he is facing competition from the fit-again Cameron Green to hold his spot for next month's World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's.

But Webster, who averaged close to 60 with the bat and a touch over 20 with the ball in his first county stint for Gloucestershire last year, reaffirmed his credentials in English conditions in his first hit for his new side.

The 31-year-old hit 13 fours, yet the highlight of his 86-ball stay was his response to wicketkeeper Bairstow donning a helmet and moving to keep up to the stumps against opening quick Ben Coad.

Webster promptly got down on one knee and scooped Coad over Bairstow's head for six in what commentators labelled an "extraordinary" stroke.

Joe Root, tuning up ahead of England's opening Test of their home season against Zimbabwe later this month, replied with a 131-ball 90 in Yorkshire's second-innings tally of 232.

Webster copped the full brunt of the star right-hander as Root scored two of his 13 boundaries in the space of four balls from the Australian medium pacer, who finished with figures of 0-50 from 11 overs.

But Warwickshire will fancy their victory chances on day three after reaching 0-15 at stumps in pursuit of 185.

"We were really happy with how we came out and batted this morning," Warwickshire's Ed Barnard told the club's website.

"To get that lead was really important. It was touch and go but Beau played brilliantly on a pitch like that.

"It's a tough pitch, there's still (moving) balls in it, so it's not going to be an easy chase tomorrow."

Another WTC final hopeful, fringe speedster Brendan Doggett, will be out to continue his strong county stint as his Durham outfit defend their big first-innings score of 511 against Hampshire.

Doggett, touted as a possible inclusion in Australia's squad for the WTC final and ensuing West Indies tour, has figures of 0-14 from six overs with Hampshire 1-112 at stumps on day two.

The South Australian has nine wickets from his first two Division Two matches, following on from his triumphant 11-wicket Sheffield Shield final appearance in March.

Elsewhere, Caleb Jewell was caught-and-bowled for 34 playing for Derbyshire against Glamorgan, while Harry Conway added a second-innings wicket for Northamptonshire against Leicestershire after his first-dig five-for.

Surrey meanwhile have announced Kurtis Patterson, the one-Test batter who had a strong comeback Sheffield Shield season for NSW in 2024-25, has been signed for three matches starting from next week.