Ashton Agar is seen above bowling for Australia against England at Trent Bridge during the First Test Match
of the 2013 Summer Ashes series. It was his Test debut and at the age of nineteen he was the youngest Australian
since Archie Jackson (1928–29 series) to make his Test debut in the Ashes. He was chosen as their spin bowler and was
named number eleven on the scorecard. The presumption was that his batting was fragile and at his age he might find
the occasion difficult.
Coming in to bat with Australia at 117 for 9 he set off on a record breaking innings with Phillip Hughes !
One hour ten minutes into his innings he had reached 50 - the first Test player on debut batting at No 11 to reach that score.
He then passed Glenn McGrath's record of 61 for an Australian batting at No. 11, followed by him and Hughes establishing a record
tenth wicket partnership for Australia - bettering a 1903 best by R.E.Foster and Wilfred Rhodes. Next came the best ever tenth wicket
partnership when they passed Brian Hastings and Richard Collinge's 151 for New Zealand. He the improved Tino Best's 95 by a number
eleven batsman. Next target: the first ever century by a test player batting at No 11. It was not to be.
At 98 he hooked Stuart Broad to Graeme Swann in the deep. Below is George Herringshaw's image of that fateful shot.
The ball is on the bat. The other pictures show Hughes hugging the young hero after he had scored fifty and Ashton
playing a shot to his off side.
Ashton played at Lord's a week later but it was 2017 before he played any further Tests -
two against Bangladesh, at the ripe old age of 24.
