Tubby's grim call on Agar amid disastrous tour

1 year ago 83

Mark Taylor believes Ashton Agar's circuit of India has been truthful disastrous that helium won't get different tally successful the baggy green.

The 29-year-old's Test vocation appears to beryllium successful tatters aft helium went from being Australia's second-choice spinner to being 4th successful the pecking bid astatine champion successful conscionable implicit a month.

Supposedly successful mentation for the circuit of India, Agar was selected alongside Nathan Lyon for the New Year's Test against South Africa.

But Todd Murphy joined Lyon successful the Australian XI for the archetypal Test of the Indian tour and, erstwhile Mitchell Swepson flew location aft the series-opener to be the commencement of his child, Matthew Kuhnemann was rushed to the subcontinent.

Agar was past snubbed for the 2nd Test arsenic Australia opted for Lyon, Murphy and Kuhnemann.

The selectors' shunning of Agar has near Taylor concerned.

"I don't cognize what his aboriginal is arsenic a Test player. They picked him for the Sydney Test, which I thought was a bully enactment due to the fact that they were reasoning astir the bid successful India. But past they didn't prime him successful India. So I don't spot what benignant of aboriginal helium has left," Taylor told Wide World of Sports.

"If they're not picking him successful India, I'm not definite however they tin prime him again.

"It's peculiarly worrying for Ashton Agar if helium does harbour hopes of playing Test cricket again. If helium was younger you'd say, 'Well, helium tin travel backmost from this', but close present I'm struggling to spot however helium tin enactment this down him and play Test cricket again.

"He's been astir for a agelong clip present ... He's not a outpouring chicken.

"I've got nary uncertainty present that the selectors volition beryllium looking astatine the improvement of Matthew Kuhnemann arsenic a left-arm spinner, truthful I don't cognize wherever that leaves Agar."

Agar has ne'er been wide considered a superb spinner, alternatively a mercurial cricketer who's useful with the ball, tin deed speedy low-order runs and is simply a magnificent fielder.

His top exploit arsenic a Test cricketer remains the rapid-fire 98 helium scored astatine No.11 connected debut successful England successful 2013.

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He's taken lone 9 wickets astatine 52 from 9 Tests, and 157 scalps astatine 42.21 from 64 first-class games.

"The biggest occupation for Ashton Agar is his red-ball record," Taylor said.

"His first-class bowling mean is 42, and your red-ball signifier implicit a play of years suggests the benignant of bowler you'll beryllium astatine Test level.

"If you're 21 years aged and averaging 42 it's a batch antithetic to being 29 years aged similar Agar and averaging 42."

Taylor said it would person been smarter of the selectors to humor Kuhnemann successful the Sydney Test, alternatively than recalling Agar but discarding him successful India.

"That would person been a amended punt to take," Taylor said.

India volition purpose to instrumentality a 3-0 bid pb successful the 3rd Test astatine Holkar Cricket Stadium successful Indore, beginning adjacent Wednesday.

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