Australia all-rounder Beau Webster finished on an even 100 not out as Warwickshire gunned down 393 to beat Worcestershire in the County Championship.
The result eased any burgeoning relegation fears the Bears had, and left the Pears rooted to the bottom of the Division One table. The chase capped off a stirring comeback, Warwickshire recovering from being skittled for 184 and conceding a first-innings list of almost 150.
‘Almost’ is a key word, the deficit of 149 just out of range of the follow-on, and requiring Worcestershire to bat again. It was here that Webster first chipped in, hitting 57 and then taking three wickets, including opener Gareth Roderick for 50, to keep the target below 400.
Still, when Worcestershire claimed both openers inside four overs on the third evening, the game seemed only to be heading one way. Then came the first of three stirring stands, England’s Dan Mousley adding a century partnership with Zen Malik. Malik, a SACA graduate playing his fifth first-class game, carried on to 142, adding 160 with Webster. However, his dismissal just before the second new ball opened the door for Worcestershire, needing six wickets with over 100 runs still to get.
Match 85, Warwickshire vs Worcestershire
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Ed Barnard came and went for 16, before Kai Smith briefly threatened to deny Webster a landmark, racing along to kill off the game. With two runs to win, Webster on 99 and Smith on strike, the keeper blocked out two balls to hand Webster his chance. The Australian knocked a single to level the scores and bring up three figures before Smith struck a boundary to see his side over the winning line.
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Khurram Shahzad, Worcestershire’s Pakistani overseas, was unable to repeat his first-innings heroics, adding only a first-over wicket to his earlier six-for.
Webster, who made his Test debut at the start of 2025, has become an increasingly influential figure in Australia’s Test side. He averages 35 with the bat and 23 with the ball after seven Tests, making two half-centuries on a historically difficult tour for batting in the West Indies and contributing 72 to the first innings of the World Test Championship final.
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