If your name’s Ashton, you’re from Western Australia, and you can spin the ball, a call up to the national team may not be far away.
In Friday’s tour match against Sussex in Brighton, Ashton Agar will be joined in the Australian side by WA stablemate and good friend Ashton Turner.
The 20-year-old Turner is a development player on scholarship from the AIS Centre of Excellence and will experience the rare feat of making his first class debut for country instead of state.
Agar was also spoken of as ‘development player’, but was a shock selection for the first Test, however Turner genuinely is with the squad as a learning experience.
With Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and a bunch of Ashes squad members rested from the team to play Sussex, Turner knows in one sense he’s been called in to make up the numbers.
But if his mate Agar has taught him anything, it’s that opportunity can take you a long way.
“It’s come as a bit of a shock and not sure how many people have made their first class debuts for Australia before their state so it’s a bit unique in that way but nonetheless I’ll take the opportunity,” Turner said.
“It’s a bit of right time right place, but it’s an opportunity I’m really looking forward to and excited about.
“I haven’t grown up with any other Test cricketers other than (Agar) so to see him make that transition (in Tests) was unbelievable actually … and comforting.”
Turner and Travis Head, the 12th man for the Sussex match, have been training with the Hampshire academy and playing club cricket in England as part of their scholarship.
He’s an offspinner and his selection as one of three spinners alongside Agar and Nathan Lyon had England fans joking that the Hove pitch must be more like ‘Hoverabad’.
Australia will consider two spinners for the third Test at Old Trafford, but not too much can be read into selection for Hove, with so many players rested.
However, it’s clear Lyon has the chance to take Agar’s place in the Test team if he bowls well against Sussex.
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Lyon has to play in that Sussex game to get some match practice. Two spinners is a silly option as we don't have one that is very good let alone two. The team for this match should be all players vying for that third ashes test. The selectors are placing very little value on playing for your country through putting the runs on the board first. Mr O'Keefe I would be looking up ancestry.com to see if you have any foreign cricketing nation blood in your family.