Agar’s shot at becoming the bowler Australia desire

Expecting Ashton Agar to lead the task of claiming 14 wickets on a pitch that has had just two days’ worth of traffic on it may seem unreasonable of a man playing his first Test in five years, but the recalled spinner might need to get used to Australia asking a lot of him.

With Sydney rain limiting the anticipated wear and tear to a dry surface, the Aussie bowlers have been handed their greatest challenge of the summer as they head into the final day of the NRMA Insurance Test series holding cautious optimism of completing a perfect home season.

Cummins leads from the front as Aussies make inroads

Yet even if Agar cannot bowl Australia to their fifth straight home win, the final day of the summer will paint a clearer picture of where the 29-year-old is at ahead of the side’s legacy-shaping tour of India that is now only four weeks away.

Agar could be forgiven for signs of red-ball rust given this is just the seventh first-class match he has played in past three years, and was not called into the attack until the fourth day’s afternoon session.

He sent down seven overs, including only two after the tea break. His brightest moments came against Temba Bavuma, fizzing one past the right-hander’s outside edge before nearly bowling him when he left a straight one.

His ability to bowl those balls are precisely why Australia have picked him.

Left-arm orthodox spinners have given Australia endless headaches on the subcontinent with those types of deliveries, and now they desperately want one of their own.

Agar would have played in turning conditions in Sri Lanka last year before suffering a side strain, while his replacement Jon Holland might then have played instead if he too had not suffered an injury.

On Australia’s previous Test tour to India in 2017, Lyon combined with left-armer Stephen O’Keefe in all four matches with both players collecting 19 wickets apiece to lead the way for the touring side in a 2-1 series loss.

Cameron Green’s admission this week that he, like Mitchell Starc, is under a cloud for the first Test in Nagpur only adds to Agar’s importance, for several reasons.

With no Green, the allrounder Australia view as “irreplaceable”, there is a strong possibility Agar becomes one of four frontline bowlers, instead of five, as he is in Sydney. And with no Starc, Australia would be without their leading fast bowler in Asian Tests over the last decade.

But the kicker is the make-up of India’s batting line-up.

With Rishabh Pant in severe doubt for the four-Test series due to injuries suffered in a car accident last month, there is a strong likelihood the home side will field an XI almost entirely made up of right-handers.

Australia’s lead spinner Nathan Lyon is of course a threat to batters whichever way they stand.

“I’m more than happy to bowl to right handers on spinning wickets, because sometimes on spinning wickets it can be more challenging to play the ball when it is spinning in,” Lyon told cricket.com.au today.

But it is an inescapable fact that batters struggle more against bowlers who turn the ball away from them.

For example, the discrepancy in Lyon’s record against right- and left-handers is exaggerated on the subcontinent; in Asia, he averages 19.80 against lefties (down from 24.33 overall) and 39.88 to righties (up from 35.80 overall).

It only further underlines the need for a complementary spinner to Lyon.

Todd Murphy is shaping as a strong chance to tour but he is a right-arm off-spinner like Lyon. Mitchell Swepson was tried in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Adam Zampa could be in the mix, but finger spin has generally been preferred by touring teams in India.

Agar has stressed he is not the same type of bowler as Lyon, and the more senior of the pair insists: “I don’t want him to be me.

“It’s their career and it’s about them making the best of their skillset,” he said.

“Ash has got a large variety of different balls that he’s able to bowl. That’s going to create a different challenge for the South African guys (on day five) and then the Indian guys moving forward.

“I think we complement each other really well, we’re totally different and that can play on the batters’ mind.

“I’m really excited about what Ashton brings to the table. He’s got a really exciting skillset that’s been on show for Australian fans to watch in the shorter formats, now he’s got his opportunity to put it together in the longer format.”

Building a strong partnership with Lyon has been a major focus for Agar on his recall.

Recalled Agar lauds ‘underappreciated’ Lyon

“We’re just speaking about where their batters are scoring, what fields have been working for him,” Agar told cricket.com.au after day one of the Sydney Test.

“He’s got a really good read on them. He’s been bowling so well, he just seems to get better every series.

“I watch it on TV and I’m like, ‘How do you just land the ball in that one spot every single time?’ It’s supreme control. 

“As a spectator it probably goes underappreciated, the ability to land ball after ball in that one spot and still try and spin it as hard as you can. 

“Working with him on the partnership will be everything.”

Men’s NRMA Insurance Test Series v South Africa

First Test: Australia won by six wickets

Second Test: Australia won by an innings and 182 runs

Jan 4-8: Third Test, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, David Warner

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (c), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Eree, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo

Buy #AUSvSA Test tickets here