Ashton Agar’s progress up the Australian cricket ladder has been a story of huge highs and great lows. At 19 years and 269 days old, he still holds the record for the youngest player to debut for his national team. He represented the hope and expectation of a new generation of cricketers. He had early intentions to play club cricket for Henley, in the Home Counties League. Then, he would have gone on the Australia A tour, but then destiny struck.
Selectors then came to Agar with some equally exciting news. He was on the cusp of making his international debut, an opportunity that would transform his life forever. Rod Marsh, a prominent figure in Australian cricket, walked up to him and said, “Ash, go and call your parents, you’re in.” This unforeseen chance catapulted Agar out of anonymity.
Agar’s debut was nothing short of sensational. For in that two-and-a-quarter hours he not only consolidated his own future as a cricketer but laid down the gauntlet to superstars across the game. He clobbered 12 fours and two sixes in his dazzling innings. He scored an astonishing 69 runs off just 101 balls before lunch. His play even outshone that of Phil Hughes, who started at six for Australia. Only two Australian men have debuted at a younger age in Test cricket this century— Pat Cummins and Sam Konstas.
Stringing together an encore would prove a far more arduous task. Even after Agar’s incredible success on day one, he found day two much more difficult to navigate. From troubles with his bowling action and a war injury to a cut finger during the second Test at Lord’s. These issues are very damaging to his performance. There was deep relief for him that they sacked him after the second Test. That it was so difficult to process, mentally,” Agar said. You’d have to be pretty mentally indestructible as a 19-year-old bowling Test matches aware that you’re not even close to your peak capacity.
He made his debut for Western Australia in 2013. He almost made it to his country’s highest office, on a very difficult tour of India. Such unbridled frustration, followed by camaraderie from other teammates, were all moments that defined his experience. He recalled one notable incident when he was the bowler involved in a controversial dismissal: “I was the bowler when Broad refused to walk after his edge nestled in the hands of Clarke at slip, via a deflection from the gloves of wicketkeeper Haddin.”
It was the young cricketer’s off-field experiences that had an indelible impact on him. Meeting with Queen Elizabeth II is still one of his best memories from his first tour. The greatest thing of all was meeting the Queen, Agar said. “She came to me, shook my hand and said: ‘This is your first time here, isn’t it?’ I said: ‘It is.’ She said: ‘Good luck, have a good time.’
Agar’s love for cricket was contagious, so much that he was able to take as much enjoyment from simple things as he did the game. “They had these little rice pudding things in plastic cups,” he recalled, adding humorously, “I had way too many on that tour. They were delicious.”
Despite all of it, Agar always had this underlying spirit of grit and perseverance. He reflected on the mental challenges he faced while bowling at Lord’s: “It was so difficult being out there at Lord’s wishing I wasn’t bowling. It was a pretty lonely place.” Agar overcame a series of challenges, but his ability to shine at the right times was undeniable. Even cricket legends such as Ian Botham sat up and took notice, infamously declaring “These are not the shots of a number 11”.
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