Agar spins into Test contention

As Australia prepare to announce their new-look Test squad to tour Bangladesh next month, Western Australian spinner Ashton Agar could be the new frontrunner to work in tandem with No.1 tweaker Nathan Lyon.

Bupa Support Team Head Coach Darren Lehmann confirmed Australia’s squad to Bangladesh would be named when the national side arrives home next week, and Agar is one of three spinners in contention to be Lyon’s deputy on the three-week tour.

Quick single: England spin way back into series

The 21-year-old impressed in his one-day international debut yesterday against England in Manchester, taking 1-45 from nine overs and conceding only two boundaries in Australia’s 93-run loss.

Watch: Agar's first ODI wicket (restrictions apply)

Competing against Agar are two incumbents in NSW Blues left-armer Steven O’Keefe and Ashes squad member Fawad Ahmed.

O’Keefe was Lyon’s understudy in the UAE last October, making his Test debut against Pakistan in the first match of the two-Test series against Pakistan where he claimed four wickets.

It took a record-breaking season from leg-spinner Ahmed for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield last summer to overtake O’Keefe on the spin bowling depth charts and win selection on Australia’s back-to-back tours of the Caribbean and British Isles.

With Australia’s bowling philosophy based more toward velocity rather than variation, Ahmed spent the successive tours on the sidelines, bound to running the drinks and playing tour matches when selected.

Now Agar is back in the mix, but it’s still unclear which way the national selectors will go in terms of personnel and squad size for the Bangladesh trip.

Watch: England claw way back into series (restrictions apply)

It is suspected that Australia will take a 15-man party to Asia, while chairman of selectors Rod Marsh has indicated up to four spinners could be chosen, making room for potentially all three candidates, or possibly two and off-spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell, who has been a regular squad member on tours where conditions suit slow bowling.

After a stunning start to his Test career two years ago where he sparkled with 98 on debut batting at No.11 against England at Trent Bridge, Agar says he’s spent his time thereafter with Western Australia developing his game and learning how he plays his cricket.

“Up until that game everything had been so natural and it’d all just happened but I wasn’t aware of how it was happening,” Agar said of his rapid rise to the Baggy Green.

“So to go and play the last two seasons and actually learn my game while I was doing it really helped me because now if it goes off I know how to get it back.

“Whereas before it went off for a bit and it was a bit of a tough time for one season learning how to find that rhythm.

“It’s just learning about the way I play the game.”

Quick single: Starc had an 'off day': Finch

Both Agar and O’Keefe travelled to India in July for two four-day matches against India A in Chennai.

O’Keefe was the star with the ball across the two matches, taking 14 wickets while his younger spin twin collected three in his sole opportunity.

Whether there’s room for two left-arm orthodox spinners, albeit with different styles and methods, in Australia’s touring party, Agar said his recent experiences playing in spin bowler-friendly conditions would hold him in good stead should he be chosen.

“I've played on a few spinning wickets at the end of last season,” Agar said.

“I learned how to bowl with rough, on turning wickets (with) different field settings.

“In India for the A series I learned how to bowl to some good players of spin.

“But I haven't been picked on that tour yet, so I just have to wait and see.”

Watch: Finch's fighting fifty (restrictions apply)

And with Australia conceding their first match of the ODI series against England yesterday, Agar said he was fully focused on winning that contest before thinking about the two-Test series in Bangladesh.

“All I can do is just put good performances on the board and the better I do the higher my chances are,” Agar said.

“In the last few games I’ve played in India and today (Tuesday) I’ve just got to try bowl as well as I can. There’s a few contenders (for Bangladesh) and they’re all very good bowlers.

“Steven O’Keefe, Fawad Ahmed and myself (are in contention), so it’s best if I don’t think about that.

“The more I think about that the less my focus is on this and this is what’s important right now.”