Ash red hot on return to play in county game
AUSTRALIA spinner Ashton Agar is eager to return to England for more county cricket next year.
The 26-year-old, who was last month added to Australia’s central contracts list, has had stints with Warwickshire last year and Middlesex in 2018.
The left-arm orthodox spinner said he had benefited enormously from playing for counties, especially in Twenty20 cricket, and would be eager to return next year.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve done for my T20 bowling, because it was really tough work,” Agar told a videolink press conference from his home in Perth.
“The guys over in England play spin really well. I would say there’s a lot of good players of spin in every team over there.
“Especially because they hit to areas where you can’t defend. A lot of them can hit in the three spots where a spinner doesn’t want to get hit: they sweep, they reverse sweep, and they hit over cover.
“So learning how to bowl to guys who are very good players of spin who can score all around the ground was important, especially going into big international series.
“It was nice to just learn and pick the brains of a couple of guys and work out how to combat that, and just develop as a player.”
Agar, who memorably made his Test debut for Australia by scoring 98 batting at No.11 at Trent Bridge in 2013 when aged just 19, said he also relished the responsibility of being an overseas player for an English county.
“The added pressure of going somewhere as an overseas player, that’s a nice thing to feel,” said Agar, who has played four Tests, 13 ODIS and 24 T20 internationals for his country.
“You feel like you have to try and stand up and help win games, lend some experience to some of the younger guys at those clubs and just to immerse yourself in a different culture.
“As a player or a person you can’t help but grow.”
Asked by the PA News Agency if he was keen to play county cricket again next year, Agar said: “Yeah I would say so. Especially T20 cricket. It’s a lot of fun in England.”
He would not be drawn on whether he preferred playing with Warwickshire or Middlesex, saying both wickets were favourable for spin.
He did drop one hint, however. “I’ll tell you one thing,” he said. “Nothing beats a Lord’s lunch.”
Former England batsman Rob Key has revealed he was hospitalised over the weekend after suffering a mini stroke.
The 41-year-old, whose international career consisted of 15 Tests, five one-day internationals and a solitary Twenty20, revealed the news on his Instagram account on Monday morning.
Alongside a selfie, he wrote: “Long weekend. Turns out I’ve had a mini stroke. Thanks to everyone at the kent and Canterbury hospital especially Charlie And dr baht. Now got to eat food with no flavour and take pills £triffic”
Key’s greatest display in an England shirt was an innings of 221 against the West Indies in July 2004, the only time he would go past three figures in an international match.
However, he banked nearly 20,000 first-class runs between 1998 and 2015 in a stellar county career with Kent, leading them for nine seasons across two spells, before becoming a popular member of Sky Sports’ cricket coverage team.
Learning how to bowl to guys who are very good players of spin who can score all around the ground was important. Ashton Agar