Despite not getting an opportunity to play in the Indian Test tour, Ashton Agar holds no resentment because he is aware that it can be quite unforgiving at the highest level of cricket. When Agar landed in India as a senior spinner in the Australian squad, he was sent back home without getting the chance to feature in either of the first two Tests, with Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann being favored over him instead. Yet, in response, the 29-year-old spun his way to five wickets in the Marsh Cup final between Western Australia and South Australia.
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar harbours no “ill feeling” after being sent back from the Indian Test tour without a game because he knows it’s “ruthless” in top-level cricket.
“I felt I wasn’t bowling as well as I needed to be. It’s a very clear direction for me now to just work on it and improve,” Agar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“I harbour no ill will or ill feeling at all. I’m very well supported in that (Australian) camp and they’ve kept in constant communication with me, so it’s all in a good place.
“I’ve been a professional cricketer for ten years now, so I’m far more resilient than when I started. It’s a tough game, it’s a ruthless environment, and that’s how it should be because it’s the pinnacle of the sport.” Agar has taken nine wickets in five Tests and went wicket-less against South Africa at the SCG Test in January. In limited-overs cricket, he has claimed 66 wickets.
“I don’t have a lot of cricket coming up. I’ve chucked my name in the ring for The Hundred… I would like to play cricket in the winter. But the next big target is the World Cup,” he said.
Agar refuses to give up on red-ball cricket, even though his statistics in the most extended format are not particularly impressive. “I’ve always wanted to play as much as I could for Australia in whatever format that is and just take my opportunities when they come,” he stated.
