Fit again Agar returns as Aussies head to New Zealand

Spinner Ashton Agar, Australia's T20 Player of the Year, is hopeful of being fully fit for the start of their five-match T20 series in New Zealand later this month.

Agar has been sidelined for two months due to calf and finger injuries but joined his Australian teammates on their flight across the Tasman on Sunday.

The Australians must undertake a period of mandatory quarantine upon their arrival in New Zealand ahead of the start of the series on February 22.

On Saturday, Agar was crowned Australia's T20 Player of the Year after enjoying another solid 12 months in national colours, which included a hat-trick against South Africa in Johannesburg last February.

He's formed a fruitful partnership with fellow spinner Adam Zampa, with the pair both ranked among the top 10 T20 bowlers in the world.

Despite missing the entire KFC BBL season as he recovered from the injuries he suffered against India at the start of the summer, Agar is confident of returning against the Black Caps.

"My finger is all healed up and my calf is going really well so hopefully I'll be fit for game one," he said.

"I do feel a little more settled in the side. You can never get too comfortable because international cricket is a really brutal game, but I think I know what my role is and I try and play that as well as I can and try and form a good partnership out there with Zamps.

"As long as I keep doing my best and playing my role, hopefully I can maintain my spot in the side."

Australia's squad in New Zealand will be without Test stars like Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and David Warner, who were all instead picked in the Test squad to tour South Africa before that series was postponed last week.

It means a host of BBL stars will get a rare chance in the national squad, including teenager Tanveer Sangha, who joins Agar and Zampa as the three slow bowlers in the touring party.

One of the five games against the Kiwis will be at the famous Eden Park venue in Auckland, the smallest ground in international cricket.

Having played at that venue during Australia's 2018 tour, Agar knows what to expect across the Tasman, although he concedes his first trip there was an eye-opening experience.

"I remember going to Eden Park and … (I thought), 'This is a joke, this has to be the wrong ground' because of how small it was," he said.

"But it actually brings you into the game as a spinner; they're going to try and hit you for sixes and you're going to get hit for some but you have the opportunity to take quite a few wickets.

"And often with not a lot of cricket being played on some of the pitches, there might be a little bit more turn and a bit more moisture in there. So it could be a spinner’s game."

Meanwhile, Ashton Turner says he and other members of Perth Scorchers' deflated squad will have no issues resetting for their trip to New Zealand and yet more quarantine.

Turner, Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye all flew to NZ on Sunday along with Agar and another Western Australia teammate, Josh Philippe, who was part of the Sydney Sixers’ triumphant side on Saturday night.

Most BBL players will enjoy some downtime before shifting focus to the resumption of the Marsh Sheffield Shield but for T20 squad members, there is no respite from the biosecurity protocols that have governed their life in recent months.

"We've been travelling a lot. Guys, for months now, have been in international bubbles, IPL bubbles, Sheffield Shield hubs and BBL hubs," Turner said.

"Guys have spent a lot of time away from their family.

"It'd be nice to go home at some stage, but an opportunity to represent our country is something we're very proud of.

"We're professional cricketers. We feel fortunate ... there's a lot to play for in New Zealand. I know all the guys jumping on the plane are really excited."

Qantas T20I tour of New Zealand 2021

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

New Zealand squad: TBC

1st T20: February 22, Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 5pm AEDT

2nd T20: February 25, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin, 12noon AEDT

3rd T20: March 03, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5pm AEDT

4th T20: March 05, Eden Park, Auckland, 5pm AEDT

5th T20: March 07, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12noon AEDT

All matches will be shown live in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo