Ashton Agar initially turned almost as many heads as he has turned cricket balls. At the age of 19 he had 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 the team 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 had the pedigree and the physical attributes to suggest his left-arm spin would 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.

After his startling start to international cricket, further success has been harder to come by with sporadic appearances across the three formats - including just two further Tests since that 2013 Ashes series. In those two Tests on the 2017 Bangladesh Test tour was effectively a third spinner. The T20 format has appeared where he is most comfortable amid Perth Scorchers' regular BBL success. In 2018 he seemed an established part of the ODI and T20I teams for tours of England and Zimbabwe but lost his place thereafter and a broken finger ended his 2018-19 domestic season early. He also lost his Cricket Australia contract.

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.
ESPNcricinfo staff