A week after George Bailey issued a call for Australia’s left-arm spinners to stand up, Western Australia’s Ashton Agar has virtually said, “Don’t forget about me”.
WA extended their lead at the top of the Sheffield Shield ladder with a comprehensive thrashing of Tasmania in Hobart, with veteran left-armer Agar claiming 3-12 in 17.5 testing overs in the second innings.
The visitors dismissed the Tigers for 98 to win by an innings and 45 runs, with paceman Brody Couch becoming the first bowler to take a Sheffield Shield hat-trick for Western Australia in their history.
Right-armer Couch had Jake Doran lbw, before Lawrence Neil-Smith chopped a ball onto his stumps and Couch clean bowled Sam Elliott.
The three wickets came in the first over after tea, killing off any hopes of Tasmania hanging on for a draw after they started the final session at 6-89.
"I reckon that's my first ever hat-trick, so it's a pretty special feeling. Just rapt to win the game," Couch said.
"It might take a while (to sink in). But I am just so stoked to get the win."
Agar's strong performance came after New Zealand left-arm spinners Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel played crucial roles in a historic 3-0 Test series win in India ahead of the Indians' tour of Australia.
Just last week Australian chairman of selectors Bailey said left-arm orthodox spin was "an incredible skill-set in the sub-continent", with a series in Sri Lanka next year on the horizon.
"Realistically there's not a huge amount of players in domestic cricket that are doing it, so it is something we are looking to expose," Bailey said.
Agar showcased great variety on the final day and dried up the runs, allowing the pace attack at the other end to also shine.
WA, winners of the past three Shield titles, had earlier taken a 143-run first innings lead after reaching 9(dec)-460 late on day three.
The hosts resumed at 2-10 needing one of their top order to dig in for a big score.
It was not to be, as left-arm quick Joel Paris swung a pearler in to Charlie Wakim to trap him lbw without troubling the scorers to the fifth ball of the morning.
Nightwatchman Gabe Bell (12) was undone by a perfect left-arm orthodox delivery from Agar that curled in and spun away to hit the top of the off stump.
Skipper Jordan Silk (11) was unable to get going and was trapped in front by an Agar skidder.
The cricket was attritional and moved at a snail's pace but that was largely due to the accuracy of the bowling.
Tasmania faced 67.5 overs in the second innings with Jake Doran (12 off 144 balls) an example of how WA turned the screws.
Paris, 31, showcased why he is one of the leading exponents of left-arm pace bowling in the country. His 2-18 in the second innings complemented the 4-45 he claimed in the first. At times he was unplayable on a surface that offered very little.
The WA performance was more meritorious considering strike bowler Matthew Kelly was rubbed out after suffering a hamstring injury in the first innings.
