Adding the all-round ability of Cameron Green and Ashton Agar not only gives the Australian one-day side much better balance, it could mean Glenn Maxwell’s freak party mishap spells the end of his international career.
Playing Green and Agar in the team against England at Adelaide Oval on Thursday gave new captain Pat Cummins’ team seven frontline batters, six genuine bowling options, and a freshness that was lacking in the failed T20 World Cup campaign.
Even though they conceded 9/287 on the back of Dawid Malan’s 134 after having England in trouble at 4/66, the pitch looked a batting paradise. ABC analyst Dirk Nannes was one of many who predicted the tourists’ total would be under par in the run-friendly conditions – and he was bang on with the hosts cruising home with six wickets and more than three overs to spare.
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Maxwell is unlikely to play again this summer after suffering a compound fracture in his leg after colliding with a fellow partygoer on a backyard tennis court.
(Photo by Chris Hyde – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
The 34-year-old Victorian had been planning a return to the Sheffield Shield ranks in a bid to make the squad for the four Tests in India in February where his off-spinners and accomplished batting on turning wickets could have been an asset for the team.
But after hoping to become a three-format representative, he now faces the prospect of losing his spot in at least one and possibly both white-ball sides.
Australian coach Andrew McDonald has indicated the T20 squad will be regenerated with younger players following the meek surrender of the trophy won by Maxwell and an experienced squad in the UAE last year.
Fellow veterans Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and Matthew Wade are likely to move on and Maxwell is vulnerable after averaging just 18.8 in 36 hits over the past three calendar years, striking at 131, around 20 less than his career rate.
In the one-day arena, Maxwell has used up all his credits for past glories and if he gets another chance, has to perform from the get-go to ensure he heads to India next October for the 50-over World Cup.
He was ineffective at the last World Cup in England, managing just 177 runs from 10 trips to the crease at 22.12 with no half-centuries.
And this year his form has been average at best – 252 runs from 10 knocks at 31.5 with an unbeaten 80 in Sri Lanka his only score above 33.
Agar got off to a dud start in his audition for a permanent spot at Adelaide against England, going for 62 off his 10 wicketless overs.
And he will probably be reaching for his wallet after the game, having dropped the F-bomb right next to the stump microphone after disagreeing with umpire Paul Reiffel reprimanding him for running into the non-striker while trying to field a ball which had gone to mid-wicket.
He later showed off his fielding prowess with a superb pickup and throw to pull off a direct hit from point to remove Liam Dawson, and then denied Malan a six with an acrobatic boundary leap and fling.
Agar also added a couple of catches for good measure to remove Jos Buttler and finally send Malan on his way.
Despite a modest afternoon with ball in left hand in Adelaide, the 29-year-old West Australian’s economy rate is a respectable 4.96 in the 10 matches he’s played since the last ODI World Cup, taking 10 wickets at 42.2, playing only half of them on spin-friendly subcontinental decks.
Former Australian keeper Adam Gilchrist believes the selectors need to invest in Agar and they’ll reap a healthy dividend next October in India.
“With limited amount of ODIs between now and 12 months’ time in India for the World Cup, I think it’s only a dozen or so games, I think Ashton Agar is going to play the lion’s share of those games regardless of conditions just to get into the XI and for him to believe he’s in the starting XI and he’ll go into the World Cup full of confidence,” Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket commentary.
(Photo by Mark Brake – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Green also didn’t light the game on fire as a bowler – his seven overs costing 38 runs is nothing to write home about – but this all-round duo, coupled with keeper Alex Carey’s ability to bat alongside Marcus Stoinis in the middle order, gives Australia the depth that’s needed in the modern white-ball arena.
If a bowler gets taken down, Cummins has variety to choose from; or if wickets fall early, he has the luxury of a genuine hitter in Agar slotting in at No.8 before the skipper and the other specialist bowlers are needed with bat in hand.
And Green’s genuine pace and bounce mean he can come on as the first-change bowler, giving Australia the luxury of resting Josh Hazlewood, as they did in the ODI series opener, Cummins or Mitchell Starc in the build-up to the Cup.
Even though Cummins is now captain, the established pace trio should be spared as much as possible over a crowded 12-month stretch of four Test series, including the Ashes.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Hmmm! How can my memory fail me there?
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Was that the one where he managed a Michelle in previous innings?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
When he batted at #6 for WA (in his last red ball game ) he scored a ton.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
We’re both on the Agar bandwagon; I’m just advocating for him to come in earlier because managing 18 off 10 with only one boundary is an anomalous innings. If anything, he could run more twos and threes coming in during the power play since there’d be more gaps in the outfield. I think he’s good enough to be allowed to build into an innings (within reason in white ball formats).
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
His 18no off 10 balls indicated that the other night. You can't do more than bat appropriately and productively in the respective formats.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Didn't see it, but it sounds like a typically well-balanced innings from him. I guess my point is you mentioned conventional strokes that included defense. If you're coming in so late that you're only going to face 8 balls or so, those skills have to be abandoned.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Did you watch any of Agar’s batting against the second new ball in Canberra? Cuts, pulls, drives and immaculate defence…until the end. Terrific.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You can believe that 5.08 is no good…but you’d be silly in thinking that. Agar, only 7 ODIs in Australia? What an indictment on the selection process. A man can hardly build a statistical profile getting one game a season. You seem to think his fielding and his batting is irrelevant and economy is his only skill. Hard to sustain a substantial argument when you do that.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Except that Agar has only played 5 of his 20 ODIs in Australia. Whoops. Santner has played 7 ODIs in Australia (avg. 40.71, econ. 4.38) and Maharaj 2 (avg. 40.50, econ. 2.47. Both have significantly better records here than Agar (avg. 44.50, econ. 5.08), and 2 of Agar's 5 matches here were against Zimbabwe. There is literally nothing statistically impressive about Agar's ODI economy rate as a middle-overs finger spinner. It's worse than every non-associate finger spinner in the ICC ODI top 40, all of whom have much better averages than Agar. For mine, he should be a walk-up start in T20Is, but the notion that his economy rate alone should get him selected in ODIs is preposterous.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Nah, I'm watching the WA boys until stumps. Just watching the Aussies during lunch and tea. Sam Fanning is very watchable. Travis Head to not only head the batting order; he should head the team in the WC.
jammel
Roar Rookie
Don - you're only responding on the Test team because WA is 7/180 vs NSW having chosen to bat! Meanwhile, Davey and Head continuing to pile on the runs against the poms...love it!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Street? Can't imagine him even having much of a Shield career. Certainly not Test cricket.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
If he can get some red ball games we'd see his true value. He's a natural #7 in Test cricket.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I'll rephrase. Agar can hit, but is better served playing conventionally rather than being forced to slog. His power game has improved, presumably because he has focused on it due to his position in the batting order, but Agar and Australia are better served with him being able to face more balls and scoring naturally, rather than trying to manufacture something.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He's a hitter. Very much a long-levered boundary man...as you saw in his cameo the other day. What you also saw was his ability to turn the strike, find spaces to turn 1s into 2s and just general strike rate savvy. His batting is an undiscovered gem, an mispeception brought about by his lack of selection.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
It's exactly the economy rate required. Chasing 260 is a doddle. Santner and Maharaj will never get those economies playing Australia. Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Windies...yes.
JamesH
Roar Guru
It really isn’t :laughing: Santner and Maharaj are probably the closest comparisons in terms of other countries’ finger spinners and they both have ODI economy rates well under 5, with much better averages. Again, 5.34 as an economy rate is nothing amazing for the role Agar plays.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You have that all wrong. The primary error is the assumption that the middle overs are economy overs. With the field out ones and twos are grimmest. 6 an over is par for the course.
JamesH
Roar Guru
If a selector picks a spinner solely based on an ODI economy of 5.34, without also wanting to know about average and strike rate, then he should be sacked. For a guy who bowls 90%+ of his overs in the middle of the innings, 5.34 is nothing to write home about. Pat Cummins (5.22) and Mitch Starc (5.01) bowl in the powerplay and at the death and they have better ODI economy rates. Agar's economy is only 0.23 RPO better than Maxwell's, who isn't getting picked as a frontline spinner any time soon. The difference in economy between Agar and Zampa is negligible - 0.1 - and Zampa has an average that is almost 20 runs lower than Agar's. On a pitch that warrants two frontline spinners, Agar gets picked. He'll get games over the next 12 months because the WC is in India, and that suits him. But let's not kid ourselves - on wickets less conducive to spin, he ordinarily woudn't justify ODI selection based on his numbers to date. T20Is are a different matter, and he is desperately unlucky not to have played more games.