'Rana is a big out': Australia all-rounder Webster

Australia all-rounder Beau Webster believes Nahid Rana’s absence is a big blow for Bangladesh heading into the Tests in Darwin and Mackay, but says Australia also face an element of the unknown with Bangladesh’s bowling attack.

Rana suffered a side strain that ruled him out of the Test series, Bangladesh’s first in Australia in 23 years. The pacer troubled Australia during the ODI series in Bangladesh earlier this year, claiming a crucial four-wicket haul with his pace and bounce. Webster, who was not part of Australia’s white-ball squad and missed that series in June, acknowledged the significance of Rana’s absence.

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“Yeah, he's [Rana] a big out. Obviously, when you take anyone out of the attack that can bowl upwards of 145, like we saw in those one-dayers, he was a real threat. Speaking to some of the guys that played in that one-day series, he was a fiery customer and put a lot of pressure on the batters. When you're missing that out of your attack, it's definitely going to be tough,” Webster told reporters in Darwin on Tuesday.

With Rana out and Shoriful Islam also set to miss the first Test, Webster said Bangladesh’s attack is somewhat of an unknown quantity for Australia. Australia have not faced Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain or Khaled Ahmed in any format.

“A little bit like the conditions, it's a little bit unknown about their bowlers and what they're going to offer on that surface. As I mentioned before, it's going to be key to relay the messaging early in the Test and make sure we can get on top early and drive the test match,” Webster said.

Asked specifically about the pitch, Webster said the drop-in wicket was another unknown and that he was unsure how it would behave.

“I'm not too sure, to be honest. Like we said, it's a drop-in. I think the few things we do know is that it's a small square. I think it might be a one or two wicket block square. So runs square of the wicket are going to be tough when it's digging into the spongy outfield. We've spoken about running between the wickets, things like that where it's a little bit different when you've got a ten-wicket block and the ball sort of races off square of the wicket.

“So just to be mindful of things like that. But in terms of the actual surface, it's a little bit of an unknown for both teams. It's going to be critical in the morning of day one to try and sum it up as quick as you can. If we're bowling, get the lengths right, and if we're batting, feed the information back to the rest of the batters,” he said.