Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has expressed surprise over the selection decisions made during the Ashes series, admitting he could not understand why Josh Inglis was preferred over Beau Webster.

Webster, who enjoyed a promising start to his Test career and delivered a standout performance in the final Test of last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was overlooked for the Ashes opener in Perth in November. The team management opted for Cameron Green at No. 6, leaving Webster out of the XI, and the all-rounder continued to be sidelined in the subsequent Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide.

Instead, selectors included reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, who batted at No. 7 and managed modest scores of 23, 32 and 10 across his appearances. Webster finally got his opportunity in the New Year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he made a strong statement with an unbeaten 71 and chipped in with three wickets using his part-time off-spin.

Ponting said the call to pick Inglis over Webster was difficult to justify, even though he acknowledged that selection panels often depend heavily on data and performance metrics. He added that Webster’s consistent displays have only strengthened his case for regular inclusion in the side.

The former skipper also suggested that Webster could now be a strong contender for a middle-order role, especially with Usman Khawaja unavailable. Ponting believes Travis Head is likely to continue as an opener, which could open up competition for the No. 5 spot, where Webster may come into the frame.

Describing Webster as a tough competitor with a strong understanding of match situations, Ponting said it would be increasingly hard for selectors to ignore him going forward. Webster, meanwhile, admitted last week that he was disappointed to miss out on selection for the first four Tests of the Ashes series.