Ashton Agar’s IPL plan to boost selection chances for upcoming T20 World Cup

Ashton Agar has taken his World Cup planning to the next level - and it will involve a desperate plan to boost his chances of forcing his way into Australia’s T20 squad.

Fringe Australian spinner Ashton Agar will look for a role as a net spinner during the upcoming Indian Premier League as he tries to convince selectors he should be included in the Australian side for this year’s T20 World Cup.

Agar, 30, was one of Western Australia’s best on Sunday as they claimed their third-straight Marsh Cup title in a five-wicket win against NSW.

The left-arm spinner finished with figures of 2-35, including a stunning caught and bowled to remove Blues skipper Moises Henriques.

The final took place at the same time as Australia completed a T20 series whitewash over New Zealand in Auckland.

While Agar would have loved to have been involved in that series, he knew he had to prioritise game time over likely watching the Aussie team from the sidelines.

“The communication was always that they were probably only going to play one spinner,” Agar said. “And if I toured, I probably would have missed out on one-day games, so they said it was better I play those games.

“I was told to take my passport [to Sydney] so I had it in the bag ready to go in case I had to be available for the third game over here.

“But yeah, those boys are going great. A World Cup is coming up soon which is exciting. So, we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Agar was again pivotal as WA won their third-consecutive Marsh Cup title. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Agar was a part of the Australian squad which won the T20 World Cup in 2021, while also appearing in the 2022 tournament on home soil. However, he played in only two matches across both of those competitions.

Since the start of the World Cup in 2021, Agar has played in only eight of Australia’s 42 T20I matches.

His last T20 match for his country was during the 2022 World Cup against Sri Lanka in Perth.

Injuries have also played a factor in the spinner’s lack of appearances for the national side, in particular a calf injury which forced him to withdraw from last year’s 50-over World Cup.

But those setbacks have turned into a positive for Agar, who felt his form now is as good as ever because he has been able to find consistency in domestic cricket without having to fly in and out for Australian duties.

Agar played only one match during the most recent T20 World Cup in Australia. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“[The ball is coming out] really nicely,” Agar said.

“I’m just keeping it simple, to be honest.

“What I’m doing out there, it just feels like a bit of playtime. I’m not thinking too much about how I’m doing it, I know what I want to do and I’m just trying to execute and that’s working well.

“I think any game you play and being able to string games together is really important.

“It’s hard when you feel out of it and when you’re not playing it’s hard to get back into it. Everything just feels a bit foreign when you have a long lay-off from the game.

“So honestly, when you string a few games together, you feel like you don’t have to warm up anymore. You feel like you don’t have to train as much.

“It’s all about just being in the game, using your game smarts and letting that shine out there.”

The priority now for Agar is to keep that momentum going.

With no more international matches on the horizon ahead of the World Cup, he will turn to franchise cricket to build up his workload before the squad is selected, likely around late April.

Agar will find it tough to crack the Australian XI with Adam Zampa preferred in recent times as the sole spinner. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

The depth of spin talent in the country is slowly growing with Tanveer Sangha gaining ground on Agar’s place as the No.2 tweaker. Glenn Maxwell and Matt Short also present as all-round options to complement Adam Zampa’s four over spells, putting further pressure on Agar.

While selectors are regularly in contact with Agar about his place in the wider squad, he wants to prove to them he should be on that plane to the Caribbean. That’s why he wants to take any opportunity to bowl, even if it’s just in the nets, to show how determined he is to play in a World Cup again.

“I don’t have much cricket coming up really,” Agar said. “I guess there’s only the IPL.

“You never know what can happen with replacements and stuff in the IPL. I’m hoping to go and try and net bowl a little bit.

“If I am picked in the World Cup squad, to then just go and net bowl and be around the IPL sides for a bit would be nice.

“But there’s still a bit of work to be done there, so we’ll see what happens.”

Originally published as Ashton Agar’s IPL plan to boost selection chances for upcoming T20 World Cup