Watching brother’s Ashes debut put Wes Agar on road to Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award
Wes Agar explains how watching his older brother’s stunning Ashes debut, and the solid advice Phil Hughes gave his sibling that day, set him on a path to become the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year.
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Wes Agar credits brother Ashton’s epic Ashes stand with Phillip Hughes for spurning AFL to become Australia’s best young cricketer in a journey that’s been anything but beige.
Behind South Australian speedster Agar’s million-dollar smile and domination across all forms this season lies a sensitive soul who has lived cricket’s troughs.
Watching older sibling Ashton’s famous 98 on debut and 163-run, last-wicket partnership with Hughes against England during the 2013 Trent Bridge Ashes opener proved a light-bulb juncture for Agar.
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“It is funny, that was the direct moment that it all changed for me. I was a young kid playing fourth grade cricket, wasn’t really that great, loved footy a lot more and was probably better at footy,” recalled Agar, 2019-20 Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year.
“I sort of loved playing cricket but didn’t think about it too seriously. I looked at players that played state and Australian cricket as almost super heroes, it was sort of an unachievable dream.”
Clad in ‘plane clothes’ after a 24-hour flight to England then cab dash to Trent Bridge, jet-lag would give way to clarity for the skinny 15-year-old sitting with Mum Sonia, Dad John and brother William.
“To see your brother who you have grown up with and seen go through everything out there in the middle puts a bit of reality towards it and makes you realise this is an achievable goal,” Agar told The Advertiser.
“From then I switched on, said I wanted to do it, take it seriously and it became a drive.
“It was interesting. We got told two nights before he was playing, booked flights over, got a cab to Trent Bridge and had to put suitcases in the change-rooms. I remember Dad was so rushed he had to run out on the ground without shoes on because they wanted to do the cap presentation so it was a massive whirlwind of a week.”
Advice Hughes dispensed in that union at Nottingham became the fulcrum of an approach that has Agar jostling with teammate Chadd Sayers to lead the Sheffield Shield season wicket-tally. In bitter sweet symmetry, late Test batsman Hughes’ picture takes pride of place in the home dressing-room at Adelaide Oval.
“Incredible,” says Agar after a pause.
“I didn’t know Phil personally but hearing the stories the boys have to share about him, seemed like a great person. Still Ash talks about that innings and how Phillip kept saying ‘let’s take it ball by ball here’ and that is something I hold in my cricket.
“I always find myself saying ‘just focus ball by ball’, don’t try and control the future or the past, just focus on the ball at hand and that is a really simple but clever lesson to learn.
“I have had a really simple game plan and it is working. I don’t think I have changed it much for all three formats and been successful. In past years I have tried to change straight away when something wasn’t working.”
Agar moved from Melbourne to Adelaide in 2016, three years after his ambition crystallised in the stands at Nottingham. Strikers boss Jason Gillespie blooded Agar in the BBL but two seasons flowed without a first-class or one-day start for South Australia. A return to Melbourne ensued where Agar prioritised critical family support.
“Personal reasons and mental reasons I guess,” said Agar of the decision to leave a Redbacks environment he loved.
“In my head I was very young out of home and struggled with a few things.
“I needed to go home and sort them out, stayed with family and had mentors to support me through it all and thankfully I came out the other end and so much better off for it.
“It is still something I deal with and hopefully some day I can use this tool, use my success to therefore help other kids who are maybe going through the same thing.”
Having found a happy place off-field Agar decided to reunite with his Redbacks ‘brothers’ this season and gain cutting edge conditioning under SACA fitness guru Steve Schwerdt.
“At Victoria I felt I was losing my way a little bit. We are tough and hard in South Australia but also nurturing and hold very close friendships and bonds with teammates.
“In pre-season I realised I needed to pick up my game. There is a bit of embarrassment when you look in the mirror and not looking the way you want.
“You don’t really realise how big losing a couple of kilos is, that slightly bigger engine especially four-day cricket. You need that engine to prevent injury as well.”
Agar’s progress has stunned Redbacks coach Jamie Siddons, assistants Luke Butterworth and Greg Blewett who viewed the seamer as a project player in his second stint at Adelaide Oval.
Having cracked into the Marsh one-day Cup with 19 wickets including two five-wicket hauls, Agar took 17 BBL scalps at 21 for the Strikers.
“It definitely comes as a surprise where I was sitting in Victoria. Coming here this year I wanted to play at state level, if I got a taste that was enough to move forward the next couple of seasons,” said Agar, providing a 140km/h point of difference for SA’s attack with 28 Shield wickets at 24 this season.
“Our coaching staff, Jamie, Butts and Blewey understand my game plan is simple and don’t like to complicate it.”
Agar conceded feeling ‘a bit out of my depth’ following former Test firebrand Shaun Tait, Ricky Ponting and David Warner in winning the Bradman gong.
“It is a huge honour to be considered for your performances by your peers and people you have looked up to in state cricket. It is a bit of a trend for me to feel like I don’t belong when I hear the names before me. It means a lot and I guess it is a pat on the back,” he said.
“It is very hard mentally when you haven’t put the performances on the board. It can play with your head to wonder if you are good enough to make it at that level.
“This year luckily I have had the chance to take wickets and that has helped me to develop my confidence to know I am good enough to be there.”
Easy going Agar is most at ease in the lead up to games whisking through the Adelaide Hills to old school tunes from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen or Aretha Franklin. Coffee, breakfast and camaraderie in a Stirling organic cafe is Agar’s idea of a good time.
Redbacks opener Henry Hunt has given his 194cm housemate a ‘harder edge’ and ‘no-sook’ doctrine that Agar cites as decisive.
“The conversation you have with him and ability for him to hold me accountable has been amazing in my development,” said Agar of fanatical trainer Hunt.
Gifted girlfriend Emma de Broughe is the perfect match for Agar, sharing an odyssey as emerging, elite athletes.
“She knows the demands of sport and when you are having lean trots is very understanding. Emma has been awesome,” said Agar of Australian under 21 hockey star and Scorpions allrounder de Broughe.
“She is in Canberra with the under-21 Australian hockey side, is being very successful and I am super proud of everything she is doing.”
Siddons has compared Agar to premier Australian paceman Pat Cummins’s hit the deck quality and control. The high of key wickets in SA’s victory against Western Australia last week and low of a disappointing away loss to New South Wales reinforced the difficulty in living up to the hype.
“It is an honour to compared to the best bowler in the world,” said Agar.
“I have a bit of work to go in developing my cricket and my game but I look back at myself three years ago, how raw I was. I am a completely different mindset, bowler and calmness.”
Joining the band of brothers to have represented Australia is Agar’s ultimate aim. The only thing better than opposing Ashton against Western Australia and Perth Scorchers this season would be flanking him in the green and gold.
“I am not going to lie, it is a great feeling when you get your brother out,” he said.
“We are close. My dream one day would be run out in any cap for Australia with him.”
Originally published as Watching brother’s Ashes debut put Wes Agar on road to Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award