Ashton Agar has so far turned almost as many heads as he has turned cricket balls. At the age of 19 he has a place in the squads of Western Australia, the Perth Scorchers, and also the national team, having sensationally been upgraded from an internship on the 2013 tour of India to a more expansive role in Michael Clarke's squad. Agar's rapid rise continued when he was included in Australia's XI for the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in 2013. Once in the Test side, he made his debut an unforgettable one: coming in at No.11, with Australia reeling at 117 for 9, Agar struck an astonishing 98 - the highest Test score ever by a No.11 - playing strokes that top-order batsmen would be proud of. He missed his hundred by a whisker, but didn't let that dampen his mood, as he picked up Alastair Cook as his maiden victim, thus becoming the first teenaged Australian spinner to take a Test wicket.

Of Sri Lankan background and possessing a frame 187cm tall, Agar has the pedigree and the physical attributes to suggest his left-arm spin will be successful, impressing many on his first-class debut for WA against New South Wales at Blacktown Oval. He had been Australia's second spinner behind Ashton Turner at the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, but developed quickly in Perth after being plucked from under the noses of state selectors in Victoria, where he was raised. An intelligent, considered young cricketer, Agar has also aspired to a career in the law, though a degree with Deakin University has been deferred due to his burgeoning cricket commitments.
Daniel Brettig