Agar set for Lord's return on county deal

Australia spinner Ashton Agar will return to Lord's later this year after English county side Middlesex announced they've signed the allrounder for their T20 Blast campaign.

The 24-year-old, whose famous entrance to Test cricket at Trent Bridge in 2013 has gone down in Ashes folklore, will link up with the London-based club after the completion of Australia's Qantas limited-overs tour of England at the end of June.

He will be available to play in all fourteen South Group matches, and will remain with Middlesex until the end of the domestic T20 tournament, should qualification to the knockout stages be secured.

Agar said he couldn't resist the chance to link up with Middlesex T20 coach and former New Zealand tweaker Daniel Vettori.

"I'm thrilled and very grateful to have signed for Middlesex for the upcoming Blast campaign and look forward to the challenge of achieving success with them," Agar said in a statement.

"It’s a great opportunity to play with an exciting group of players coached by Dan Vettori, a person I always looked up to as a young spinner and cricketer in general.

"I can't wait to walk out at Lords, one of the most beautiful grounds in the world - it’s quite a privilege."

Following his incredible 98 from No.11 on international debut in the 2013 Ashes, Agar played one further Test at Lord's before waiting more than four years to pull on the Baggy Green again. 

The left-armer took seven wickets on the Test tour of Bangladesh late last year as Nathan Lyon's sidekick, and thrived for Australia's T20 side in their recent trans-Tasman tri-series victory.

His effectiveness with the ball, combined with his batting and fielding ability, saw him leapfrog leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who was dropped after playing alongside Agar in the tri-series opener. 

The Western Australian finished the campaign featuring New Zealand and England as the tournament's most economical bowler (minimum five overs) and Middlesex believe he will fill an important vacuum in the team.

"In conversations with Daniel Vettori it became apparent that we required an all-rounder to strengthen our T20 side. Ashton Agar's name quickly came to the top of our list," Middlesex director of cricket Angus Fraser said.

"Ashton is developing into a high-quality cricketer. He has shown that he can bat at the top of the order and continues to be an effective bowler.

"He is available for the entire tournament and is a cracking young man."