Ashton Agar is Having a Laugh

Just two days ago A View From the Top wrote a lengthy article entitled ‘The Ashes A New Hope’ in which I detailed the need for a batsman or two to stand up to be counted in this Ashes series and give us a reasonable chance. Ashton Agar was nowhere to be seen in that article, and nor should he have been. We now know he is a 19 year old rookie of a dozen first class games picked from relative obscurity to bowl left arm orthodox and bat at no 11. 

At the end of Day 2 he is the world record holder on multiple fronts. The leading contributor to the world record tenth wicket partnership, world record score for a number 11 in Test match cricket, world record score for a number 11 representing Australia in any form of cricket, first number 11 to score a half century on debut and heartbreakingly close to doubling up and becoming the first number 11 to notch a century in Test cricket.

I like most cricket fans assumed that Agar had stayed on in England as a developmental prospect to gain experience and feed off the experience of a UK Ashes Tour. Remember he wasn’t even a member of the original touring party but was in England for the A Tour last month.

His selection for the First Test was an anomaly of the social media era of professional sport in that just about everyone was taken off guard by it. In my opinion this reflects very well on the change of culture and impact that Boof Lehmann has already had on this cricket side. The fact that there were no leaks of his selection and the world’s media didn’t find out about it until Glenn McGrath presented him with his Baggy Green and couldn’t confirm the selection until the toss demonstrates that the dressing room has come together in a manner that we haven’t seen for quite a while.

Agar highlights another shining light of Lehmann’s short tenure as Australian cricket coach. The fearlessness to pick a 19 year old relatively unproven cricketer is one thing but to enable him to play without the burden of expectation that our players have seemingly been weighed down by in the past is another. The highlight of this two day Test for me was Agar running over to his younger brothers to share a laugh at the change of innings, or walking off the field having fallen two runs short of a maiden Test century sharing a laugh with Phillip Hughes. 

It’s so refreshing to see a kid representing Australia enjoying the moment. Sometimes as fans we get caught up in wanting players to ‘show’ how much they care but at the end of the day as players you need to be able to appreciate and enjoy the moment. Ashton Agar will never again debut for Australia and score 98 and you shouldn’t lose sight if just how enjoyable moments like that should be.

Lehmann has indicated in the media already that he wants his players to enjoy playing a tough and aggressive brand of cricket but be relaxed and approachable off the field. Importantly he makes the point that cricket will naturally be more enjoyable when you winning and at the end of the day there is a reason we keep score. But as life has taught Lehmann there are things more important than a game of cricket. The sudden death of David Hookes is a major influence on the sporting philosophy of Lehmann and so far you would say the change in atmosphere around the side has been positive.

Needless to say Day 2 and perhaps the First Test belong to 19 year old debutant Ashton Agar. On Day 1 he appeared a little tense at the crease and England’s batting collapse meant that he wasn’t required to bowl all that much anyway. Towards the end of Day 2 buoyed by the confidence that comes with writing your name into history with the bat, Agar showed himself to be a hugely promising bowler. Bowling into the rough to Alistair Cook in the final session he was able to extract turn and bounce to extract a few half (probably quarter) chances and demonstrate the benefit of turning the ball away from right-handers but beating the outside edge of Kevin Pieterson a number of times. 

Although England only made 213 in the first innings the improvement in Agar’s bowling reflected the more disciplined performance from the Australian bowlers as they bowled very tightly and refused to bowl the one or two boundary balls an over that were hallmarks of the first innings. As a result England approach stumps, as I’m writing this article, 2 for 80 off 40 overs. It is crucial that for the rest of today’s play and for the rest of this innings that we make England work extremely hard for each run because this pitch is only going to get harder and harder to bat on.

Needless to say Australia are only in the relatively strong position that they find themselves in because of a once in a lifetime knock from a 19 year old number 11. The responsibility now falls on the frontline quicks and top 6 batters to seize the opportunity before them and take a vital 1 nil lead in The Ashes. If they do I’m betting Agar will be $1.01 to take Man of the Match honours.