Sheffield Shield: Steve Smith grinds Ashton Agar and Western Australia into SCG dirt
Test superstar Steve Smith led the go-slow batting for NSW on a day where West Australian spinner Ashton Agar failed to produce the goods Australia so desperately hopes for.
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Hope continues to spring eternal that Ashton Agar will become the Test star he was on debut more than six years ago.
There have been many theories about Agar over the years, including one that he could be an early bloomer and a late bloomer, without much in between.
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Australia are desperately hoping that he hits his straps soon because there is no clear No. 2 spinner ready to support Nathan Lyon this summer, or even replace him should injury ever strike the country’s greatest off-spinner.
Agar would likely have featured in the Australia A side to face Pakistan on Monday, but it’s understood selectors made the decision that the left-arm spinner was better served being in Sydney with Western Australia on a dry deck than in Perth for a three-day pink-ball match.
Selectors are viewing this NSW and WA Sheffield Shield clash as a dress-rehearsal of sorts for the last Test of the summer at the SCG, when Australia will likely want a second spinner to face New Zealand.
One sign of the alarming lack of depth under Lyon is the fact Australia didn’t even select a second spinner for the Ashes, and were almost exposed when the “GOAT” picked up a finger injury in the fourth Test.
There was no national selector on duty at the SCG on Monday for the Sheffield Shield clash between NSW and WA, but the presence of Australian spin coach Sri Sriram was perhaps just as significant.
A watchful eye is being kept on Agar.
He finished with indifferent figures of 0-68 from 28 overs on an extremely flat and slow surface.
However, there’s a belief the SCG deck will transform over the four days to an old-fashioned Sydney raging turner.
If NSW bat a second time in the match, that’s when the real acid test will come for Agar and whether he can bowl out a line-up featuring the likes of Steve Smith and Moises Henriques, who in the first innings are 59 not out and unbeaten on 43 respectively.
NSW finished day one on 2-221.
It was an arduous day of Shield cricket in which even the best player in the world struggled to push the scoring along. Smith faced more than 200 balls for his half-century.
Only 43 not out from 66 balls in the final hour from Moises Henriques lifted NSW out of their lethargy.
Missing usual fast bowling spearhead Jhye Richardson, WA had few answers with the ball, barely raising an appeal all day.
Smith seemed more intent on occupying the crease at times, going half an hour without scoring and was sitting on just six after an hour batting.
The Test star ended up scoring 24 during the entire middle session, reaching the boundary for the first time with a six just before the tea break.
Remarkably, Smith took 129 balls to hit a four, though having cleared the boundary on two occasions.
Rookie opener Daniel Solway top-scored with a watchful 65 before spooning a simple catch into the covers off leg-spinner Liam O’Conner (1-29).