From The Ashes: Ashton Agar

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Hello, I'm Stefan Shemhelt and welcome to from the Ashes, a series of Test.

Match special podcasts with those who've seen.

Played and lived some incredible Ashes moments.

Here's Broad comes in, bowls carries edge.

It is out and Stuart Broad takes.

The final wicket in a dream finale.

Broad comes in and bowls to Agar. Agar swings the short ball away. He could be caught. He's out. He's caught in the D. He's out for 98. A wonderful debut comes to an end.

In goes Bickle, dashing up.

A ball's outside the off stump. He laces it through the offside. He won't go for four. It'll certainly go for one. That's all that Michael Vaughan wants. He goes back for the second. He's got his helmet off, his bat is raised and Michael Vaughan scores his first century against Australia. Harris bustles in, balls to him. Oh, he's caught behind. It's wide. He flashed at it and he's walked. The umpire didn't give him out, he walked off. And that's a big wicket. My word.

Well, we're only days away from the start of the Ashes series. The first Test between Australia and England at Optus Stadium begins on Friday, and From the Ashes has been building up to the series for the past month. We've spoken to Stuart Broad about his amazing Ashes career, Michael Vaughan on how the 200203 series laid the foundations for what came in 2005. Ryan Harris told us about bowling with Mitchell Johnson and his ball of the century in this city. And David Larter had some Wonderful stories about the last time England traveled to Australia by sea for the final episode. I am on the beach in Cottesloe to meet a man of Western Australia. Ashton agar was the 19 year old left arm spinner plucked from nowhere to play in the first Ashes Test in England in 2013. Even cricket, Australia's own website, called it one of the biggest bombshells in Ash's history. With Australia in deep Trouble in their first innings, Agar arrived at the crease at number 11 and swaggered his way to 98, still the highest score by a number 11 in Test cricket. I'm at Ashton for a coffee overlooking the Indian Ocean to discuss that memorable day, the poignancy of sharing it with the late Phil Hughes and how he was given the strongest hint he'd be making his Test debut in a pub in Worcester. This is from the Ashes, Ashton Agart.

I sat down, we were at one place, I can't remember what it was called. Anyway, Mark Clark was sitting on one side of me and Brad Haddon was sitting on the other side of me and that was pretty cool in itself. I remember watching Michael Clark's first test, you know, I might have been in primary school still or just in year seven, you know, and he was young and made 150 in India. So to have him sitting next to me sort of as my potential captain at the time was great. And he says, you ready to go, youngster? And I said, yeah, sure, like let's go. I thought he meant the next place and he goes, la for next week. And I knew exactly what he meant by that because the Test was the next week. And I said yep. I just remember saying yep with conviction and no other thought in my mind. And he said, look, basically the only way you don't play the first Test is if you bore yourself out of it in this, in this warm up game. And he goes, I don't think you're going to do that. I think you're bowling really well at the moment and we believe in you and I think this will be great. We'll work together in this first Test on a few plans, in this warm up game, on a few plans for the first Test and you know, I'm backing you in basically.

And in that game you got Moeen Alli and Nick Compton out. And at the time Nick Compton was around the Test side, he'd gone to play for Worcestershire as an extra game to sort of keep himself in the frame for the Test team.

Yeah, I mean, I bowled pretty well. I knew at the time that I wasn't bowling at my best, it was tough, it was bowed nicely, but it was the first time I bowled with Duke's balls and my finger was already getting ripped to pieces. And I guess this is a bit that I haven't spoken a lot about. I've spoken a little bit about it at the time, but I was. I headed into that UK summer, like bowling incredibly well. Like, I bowled beautifully in Australia and honestly, it felt like I could have bowl with my eyes closed, but then getting over there with the new ball, it just threw my action to pieces. That's what it really felt like because I didn't have confidence in actually holding the ball in my hand and my finger was getting cut. And I don't know if you remember Moeen Ali recently, when he played in England, couldn't bowl. When that happens, it's really not good. So that was sort of the beginning of that becoming a bit difficult. But, yeah, bowled really nicely in that practice game and I got Compton out, stumped Moeen. I didn't get him with a very good ball. It's quite a full ball that he managed to nick to first slip. But things went well in that practice game.

It was just a bigger seam, more prouder seam. Completely different.

It's just such a different ball. It's got a lot of lacquer on it. It's a very thick, pronounced seam. So where you've actually placed your fingers on the ball when you've had no experience of that and you're not experienced yourself as a professional cricketer, as a 19 year old, trying to adapt quickly on the biggest stage can be pretty tough.

It must have been a pretty big clue to everyone else that you were going to play in the first Test that you were named in that team to play against Worcestershire. Yeah. And how did you. How did you feel? How was the rest of the team? I mean, you jumped ahead of Nathan Lyon in the pecking order. How. How was all of that?

I felt good and, and nervous, I think, as anyone would at that stage. You know, I was sort of dawning on me what was about to happen and I was mentally just trying to prepare myself for it without completely locking myself in it, you know, because you don't. Didn't fully lock it in until I got told. But from that day, when Michael Clark told me that night, I was mentally just trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to have to walk out there on the first Test and be ready for whatever I was going to feel and just Be ready to get the ball in my hand and try and bowl with some courage, you know, with the way I know how to bowl. So that's how I was feeling at the time. And I must admit, yeah, I was definitely nervous.

What was the situation with your family? Because they were there at Trent Bridge. But were they coming anyway or did you have.

No, they weren't coming. So we had. Then we, you know, we went to Nottingham after the tour game and we had two training sessions. So the main session was two days before the game. And I was walking off the training track and into the rooms because we came out in the middle. Cause the nets were out in the middle. And who walked up to me at the time? Oh, it's Rod Marsh, actually, out of all people. He walked up to me and he said, ash, go and call your parents. You're in, mate. And then Darren Lehman came up and patted me on the back, said, congratulations, mate. So I walked straight into the rooms, called Mum and Dad from there, and God, that was an amazing phone call. Mum was in tears. My brothers were yelling, they were so excited. Dad could hardly speak. And then it was like, okay, right, you need to get here. So they got on a flight that night, I'm pretty sure, and just. And landed, you know, in Heathrow. Got straight in a taxi and made it to the ground with a minute to go before my bag of green presentation, because it was a long cab ride.

Was Melbourne. Was that home for them?

Melbourne. So they've gone Melbourne to London and the soonest flight that they could. I mean, they got to see my bag of green presentation, which was incredible from McGrath and witness that whole moment, which is. It's great. I love thinking about it, you know, it's pretty exciting.

What's it like getting your cap from Glenn McGrath?

That's good. Yeah, that was. That was cool. You never know who you're going to get it from. And then when I saw Esther McGrath, he's a legend of the game. And so that was a real honour. You know, he talked about pride, honour and respect in a bag of grand. And, you know, just said that everyone sort of has your back, really, in this team now. And it's. It's club you sort of be a part of forever and that, you know, can be proud of that. So that, that was nice.

I. I was looking at the. The reports last night of, of when the news of your debut came out, and even cricket, Australia's own website, called it one of the biggest bombshells in Ash's history.

Yeah, it Was huge. Yeah, it was. I guess just because it was unexpected. Nath had been playing a lot up until that stage and like you said, there was a lot going on at the time. And a minute before the first Test for that to be announced in a huge series in England, that a 19 year old makes their debut for Australia is a big bombshell.

Well, there's only two players younger than you to clay for Australia this century, Pat Cummins and Sam Constance.

There you go. Yeah.

And, yeah, I guess, yeah, at the time it just seemed so incredible. But I also remember looking back at it, you know, we've got cricket, Australia saying one of the biggest bombshells in Ashes history. But I'm also trying to square it in my mind that the signs were there, the fact that you played in Worcester and all those sorts of things. I'm still trying to get my head around why it felt like such a surprise when actually it had been. All the direction of travel was in.

That way, I guess just when it actually happens and it gets announced on day one, you know, it wasn't announced before. They wanted to keep it really quiet.

And they must have kept it quiet.

They did, yeah. We kept it extremely quiet. The only people that knew, really, were my family. And I told Justin Langham as well, who was my coach in WA at the time, was pretty excited for me. So we kept it extremely quiet. And that was the whole point for it to be a bit of a surprise fact as well, because they wouldn't have really known anything about me. So that's probably why it would have felt like even more of a bombshell on day one of.

You've got a smile on your face when you talk about it as well.

Yeah, it's great. I mean, it's such. It's an amazing time. I think now that I'm experienced, I'm 32 now, I realize how big that was. It felt big at the time, for sure. I just picture it in today's climate, you know, like 13 years on with today's media, and I just imagine they would have been crazy, you know, and it felt crazy back then. So I now know what it means to debut for Australia, I guess, at 19 in the first Ashes Test in England away from home. Yeah. Yep. And I'm proud of it.

So what was it like to be on the field that day? England won the toss and batted first.

Yeah.

And actually you didn't have to do a great deal.

England, we didn't have to do much, about seven overs. Being on the field was good. I Mean, we had a pretty good bumbling attack, you know, Siddle, Stark, Pattinson, myself, Shane Watson. Bold as well. It was a gloomy, overcast day in England. It was such an English sort of cricket day and it was everything that I'd seen on tv, you know, packed house, English national anthem, Jerusalem playing. That's a spine tingling moment when they play that. As you're walking out the ground, you feel pretty small and you certainly feel like the whole of England is supporting England. There's not many people supporting you there. But I knew exactly where my family was sitting for the whole five days. And I just kept thinking of them and kept looking over to them sort of thing. If I felt like I needed to feel some closeness or like some support, you know, that, that was really nice. And the boys looked after me so well, you know, they treated me, everyone treated me like the youngest brother, which was, which was nice because they probably understood more than I did, the enormity of the moment.

England 250 and all out on day one. You bowled seven overs. They didn't have to do a great deal. Peter Siddle takes five.

Yep.

Australia 75 for four at the end of the day. It was quite a famous day for Jimmy Anderson's delivery to Michael Clark.

One of the best balls I've ever.

Seen that, you know, trimmed the off. Bale somehow got past Clark's outside edge.

He was the best batter in the world at the time as well, you know. He was the most informed batter in the world. To get him out that way was amazing. Yeah.

Theme Always wanted to ask, wanted to know. We bit miffed about being number 11, by the way.

Not at all. I was sort of relieved in a way, you know, I didn't have to. Well, I thought I wouldn't have to go out there in the chaos and that's exactly when I went out there. But nah, nah, it wasn't. I mean, it was my first game, but I never thought of it as batting at number 11. I walked out there feeling like a batter.

So the next morning Australia had gone from 75 for 4 overnight to 118 for 9 before lunch, pretty much in the first hour of the day's play. How are you feeling sitting there? Because there's like a balcony, isn't there, at Trent Bridge, where you can sit and watch from. Yeah, you've got your pads on, you're watching this unfold. Did you have time to be nervous or was it one of those, where's my firepad? Where's my box? I've Got to get out there pretty quickly.

Yeah, it's a strange feeling. I'll actually rewind it back to the night before when Anderson was bowling and it felt like he was swinging the ball three different ways. You know, that's what it felt like in the rooms. And the English crowd was the first time I experienced an English crowd. And what they're really good at is making you feel feel pretty small. And they're really witty and smart and with the way they go about it, it's that classic English humor and you can't help but laugh when you're out in the field. They have all sorts of chants, but the one chant that was ringing in everyone's head was the Jimmy Anderson chant. Or Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Anderson. And Michael Clarkey got out to that ball and he was walking off at the time and he got in the rooms and he was chanting the song. He was singing it because it was just so stuck in his head. And it felt like when you were out there, like, I was sitting inside most of the time, watching. Not even out on the balcony, sort of watching, peering over. And Ashton Turner was there as well for the Test at the time, just being around the group and watching as part of the Hampshire sort of setup. So I was sitting with him because he's one of my close mates. We were just chatting about the game and how I might try and play certain bowls. So. But it was like, holy moly. Like, it's actually all kicking off right now and we're way behind. So that's how I was feeling the night before. And then to actually walking out there at 118, 117, 118 for nine. Phil Hughes is out there at the other end. Graham Swan was bowling at the time, and I was actually speaking to Ash Turner just before I was going about how I'll try and play Graham Swan. And the funny thing is, me and him had watched every bit of footage on Graham Swan there is on YouTube. Like, we loved the way he bowls because we're both off spinners. And really, he was the best bowler to watch. He was the best offspinner probably in the world at the time. Ashwin was getting really good, but Swan's shape and drift and dip, and he came into that series taking wickets, I reckon, against New Zealand as well. Bowled beautifully. And so we'd always watched him, his variations. And Ash sort of said, you watched a lot of him sort of play. He goes, mate, you just got to go about it in the way you know how to go about It. I remember I tried to play him on pace. However, I was walking out to bat. I remember looking straight over to where my parents were, you know, looked left over to where they were sitting, but it felt like the ground was moving from side to side because of the chants that it was so loud. It was the last wicket. England was so far on top of the game. In a stadium, when everyone's chanting, it always feels like one side of the ground is slightly out of sync with the other one. So, yeah, it felt like the ground was moving like that. If you imagine like seaweed swaying in a current under the ocean, that's what it felt like. I just wanted to get through my first ball. I didn't want to get a Golden Duck blocked swan. And then I got a single off him. And after that, honestly put me at ease massively. And then everything happened from there.

What did Phil Hughes said to you?

Every single ball he. At the start, he was taking more of the strike. And then Wolf ran out a message that just said to back me in because I'd made runs to wa at the time, I'd made runs in the A Series as well. Wolf ran out a message, said, just back me in and take the runs that we can get, which is cool. So he stuck to that. To Phil's credit, he was batting really nicely at the time, but every single ball that I was on strike, he'd come down to me and say, next ball, next ball, next ball. And he was even stronger on that the more runs I hit. And it kept me extremely present. It was a real lesson in how to stay present. And batting really is about consistently making good decisions. I think that's what anything is all about. But when you're out in the middle and the pressure's on and spotlight's on, how can you get back to consistently making good decisions? And that's what Phil did for me that day.

English Anything to you when you arrived at the crease?

Yeah, plenty. Kevin Peterson gave me a mouthful. I remember that. I can't really remember exactly what he said, but I remember laughing at him. I was 19. He was an old, experienced player, and he was trying to intimidate me. And I was like, just. It wasn't intimidating just because. Just didn't matter, you know, I was out there batting 11, just trying to have a crack, but that's how I looked at the game at the time. But it was still Kevin Peterson in the Nash's game. It was a guy I've looked up to. I love watching Kevin Peterson play Cricket, like me and my brothers loved him and we've got so much respect for him and he's a great guy. You know, I've had chats with him, not about that afterwards, but just chats about cricket with him and I respect him a lot. But yeah, obviously he was going to do that. You know, Anderson, as I was riding past him, would always have a word broad, would have a little word chirp from Prior behind the stumps. Yeah, they were into me. It was never abusive, never like that, but it was just made to make you feel uncomfortable and that's exactly what you should do. To a 19 year old who's out there for his first time, you've got to make it uncomfortable because it's the highest level of the game and you got to take any advantage that you can and it's not meant to be easy. I would have been disappointed if I didn't get to experience that, but I maintained it was never personal, never abusive, it's just good from them.

So you avoided your Gelden duck and you got off the mark.

Yeah.

Ninth ball. You hit Jimmy Anderson back over his head for four.

Yeah, there was a, I mean, back over his head is a embellishment. He hit it straight into the ground. Straight drive and it. Yes, came straight out of the middle of that. The outfield was really fast because it.

Was a lovely sunny day.

Sun came out and as soon as the sun comes out in England, particularly at Trent Bridge, the ground goes really dry, that you see it quite clearly on tv. And it rocketed away to the fence from that moment. Really, that was a really key moment because I felt the ball out of the middle of the bat. From that moment on, it just felt like I was seeing the ball really, really easily. I was picking up the length quite quickly and I was looking to try and hit boundaries, honestly, because the ball was a little bit older, the wicket was pretty good. That's, that's how I saw. And I was, when, when the ball was there to be hit for four, I was trying to hit it for four.

Could have been stumped only at six.

Felt pretty out, you know, like Graham Swamp. Yeah, I was really lucky that I got my foot down just in time. Could have gone either way. It's a nice ball. So it drew me into a drive and it spun and bounced and Prior took the stumps off. It was a nice piece of work, but thankfully it went my way. I had no idea it was heart in your mouth moment and I would have been shattered because I felt good. I remember Being like, God, I was feeling great and it went my way and I actually couldn't believe it, but there was just enough doubt.

So watching. Watching the shots that you played. Yeah, there was. There was a sweep off Swan that went the floor.

Yeah.

And then Stephen Finn was bowling.

Yep.

And England lost their length. Finn in particular. They started bowling short to you?

They were trying to bounce me. Yeah.

And you tucked in.

Well, that was my favourite shot, like hooking and pulling the ball. It was a shot that I played all the time as a kid. So short bowling was never intimidating. I did get out to it every now and then because I was compulsive on it and I'd just try and smack it. But when you're in that situation, in hitting the ball well, you're going to take it on. And particularly when I've played on some faster wickets back home, that wicket didn't feel too fast even when it was dug in. Whilst Stephen Finn was probably pretty fast at the time. So it was Stuart Broad. They were in the high 130s to 140s. I was taking that on and got a few out of the middle of the bat and I really started looking for the short ball.

And there was another shot where you sort of went inside out off Graeme Swan, over long, off for six. I mean, at that point you were batting like David Gower.

It's hard to describe the feeling. I was lucky that Phil was there keeping me so present. But the occasion faded away. The only reference point I had was my family. Like I said, I'd look at them almost every ball.

What about the rest of the crowd? Because there were some Aussies in there that were sort of cheering you on.

Yeah, but the whole crowd by that stage was cheering me on. The English crowd were great and they were loving it, actually, because it was. It was pretty exciting. When the ball started flying around and I got past 50, I got a standing ovation sort of thing. When I got 50. And from a mostly English crowd, that's pretty cool. Again, looking straight at my family. I can still see it, so that's nice. So it never felt. Yeah, it never felt like the crowd were against me, if that makes sense. And maybe that made it easier for the moment to sort of dissipate. Then I could just, like I said, focused on the ball and try and.

Whack it, because milestone started to be ticked off. There was a 50 partnership. You overtook Phil Hughes in the way that you were scoring. You caught him up and went past him. I was watching the commentary, Ian. Botham said it was almost embarrassing for England the way that you were taking them on.

I think that was actually after a short ball because I've watched it back a number of times myself and with my family. And his voice is the one that I remember most clearly from the commentary. I remember he said, well done, young man. Well done. That will be it. Like when I got 50 down the third man, and I was like, that's awesome.

It was like an open face off.

Yeah, blocked it. And they had like a deep point, I'm pretty sure. And it trickled just fine of him.

For two 50 off 50 balls.

It was. It was like I said, I was scoring freely up, but I was really looking to score. I think it would be easy to go out there and try and survive, but it just wasn't the way I was playing at the time. And it's credit to Darren Lehman as well, who just said, mate, go in about the way, you know, play the way you know how to play. And I sort of only knew how to play one way at that time. And that was. That was really positively. So I felt really empowered and it felt like if I was going to fail, I was allowed to fail that way, which is a really big lesson.

You went off for lunch, 69, not out.

Is that what it was?

69 at lunch. What was the dressing room like when you went in?

Really good. Like massive ruffles on the head and getting around me, but not too much. Like, they were. They were really smart and I think that it was awesome. But, you know, they're like, just keep going. And they. They wanted me to keep going. I think that could have gone crazy, you know, and just kept talking to me about it, talk about this and that. But it's. Let me have my lunch. Yeah. I remember sitting in that room at Trent Bridge, actually. They had these, like little rice pudding things in this. I had way too many of them. That too. But they were just in these little cups, in these plastic cups and they were delicious. I reckon I had a couple of those. And you can eat whatever you want when you. When you're 19, you don't quit on any weight. I wouldn't have them now tucked into a nice lunch and was time to go back out there again. I don't think I took all my pads off. I never like taking all my pads off if I'm batting and I have lunch. So I had my thigh pads still on, definitely, because I like that sort of feeling. I don't like putting sweaty gear back on. I want to Feel like I'm still batting just to stay in it mentally as well. And Phil, yeah, Phil just had this steely look in his eyes the whole time. That's one thing I really remember about him, that steely look in his eyes. And it was like, time to go again.

She had a lead. At this point, you'd overtake an England score. Back out after lunch. And then Ian Botham again on the commentary. The shots you're playing, he said, it's not the stroke play of a number 11. It almost felt like he felt like he'd been had, like he'd been hustled.

I made a late cut, I reckon, off Swan. Like I said, I played Swan on pace and I sort of knew when it was really slow, he was trying to spin the ball and then there was two different trajectories. He bowled a five star off spinner and then he bowled a 45 sort of seam ball that would drift in. It was like a half arm ball and he would want that. He got a lot of guys out, leaving that ball actually bowled. I knew that ball and that was that ball. And so I just went back and just laid it off the face of my bat and it went for four. But it's like those little moments. I think Ayrton said it once about his driving. He said, it's like having God's hand on your brain, you know, and you sort of. You don't know how it's happening, but it just happens. And it's like all of your knowledge and skill comes out at one time. That's what it felt like. It just felt like I had God's hand on my brain.

You keep going.

Yeah.

You go past 95, which was previously the best score by a number 11 in Test cricket.

Tino Best.

Tino Best. He did stun to England. You and Phil Hughes had got the record partnership at the time for the 10th wicket in Test cricket. It was sort of an edge off Graeme Swan. That took you to the highest score by number 11. At that point, I think your family. The TV cameras panned to your family and they were on their feet. Yeah. Clawding.

Yeah.

Did you know, by the way, that at the time that that was high score by a number?

I think it came up on the big screen, I'm pretty sure. And the crowd really were clapping and celebrating. That I think I did know. But only because of that, I hadn't kept any tabs on the high score by number 11.

How are you feeling in the. Just in the 90s?

They're good. I just wanted to keep going. Yeah, it felt fine. I mean, no nerve.

Like the nervous 90s.

I hadn't made a first class 100. I think my highest first class score before that was 71, maybe against Tassie.

Many hundreds in any other sort of cricket before.

Just two in club cricket, Nothing other than that. So just the feeling of like it might actually happen. But I wasn't. I didn't change the way I played.

Because at that point, you know, looking at the. The old footage, England's plans had gone like they were bowling to Australia's number 11. There was no slips, there was fielders back on the leg side. They were really scrambling.

Yeah, they were.

Stuart Broad balls. Your short ball.

Yeah.

You pull it into the leg side.

Yeah, and then smashed it. Absolutely smashed it. Should have hit it up, but I actually tried to hit it down.

Broad comes in and bowls to Agar. Agar swings the short ball away. He could be caught. He's out. He's caught in the deep. He's out for 98. A wonderful debut comes to an end. An extraordinary performance. And the short ball has got him as he tugged at it and hit it hard into the onside. Australia all out for 280. The innings of his life comes to an end. Almost unfairly denied.

100.

He took the bowling on as he had throughout and listen for the applause. Some of the England players have run up to congratulate him as he makes his way off the field. A magnificent performance on the Boo from Ashton agar out for 98.

Graham Swan, the fielder, he was.

Good catch.

He was about 3/4 of the way back. He wasn't all the way on the boundary.

And then the hardest catches, like, because it was curling towards him, I sort of hit it so hard and was curling towards him. I hit it. And then, because my helmet, you'll see on the footage, it's going everywhere. Like you would have fit two balls between the gap and my helmet. I got a small head. I had a helmet that hardly fit fit. I remember Missouri coming in fitting me a better helmet after that test match.

Is that what happens before that? Because obviously that was the first time you would have needed an Australian helmet, I think, or it would have been relatively new.

Yeah, the actual Australian helmet was the first time that I'd ever worn one of those anyhow. Doesn't matter, but. So I couldn't really see. And then I saw it sizzling and. And he caught it. He's got a good pair of hands, Graham Swan. But there. There were A lot of blokes out there at the time, I reckon they had four blokes out in the leg side because I was trying to take on everything. And the few balls before that, I was trying to step inside and hit it over the keeper, you know, that's how I was. I just wanted to get there and I was going to do it in the way that I got all my other runs, which was taking them, taking the game on. And I had no fear of what the bowler was bowling at the time. I just sort of wanted to play the shots I was trying to play at that stage. And. Yeah, certainly don't regret it even, you.

Know, you've said that the. The English crowd, English sports are behind you. Yeah. It's like someone's like the pin out of the. The ground. Wasn't it like just all the air. Yeah, just that deflation around the stadium.

Yeah, there was. And it's kind of a nice moment. Maybe went a bit quiet for a moment there, which is crazy because, you know, it's a huge Ashes Test match that just got us out after what turned into a tough innings for them. And you'd think the crowd would be elated, but they were really disappointed.

I mean, the only people who looked happy were the England fielders.

Yeah, they were the only ones. You know, there's footage of it, the same thing, and I remember just going like a side sort of smile on my face. It's like, oh, well, you know, gee, that would have been good. But it was. It was a beautiful moment, you know, and Graham Swan sprinted up to me, you know, and he was the first one to congratulate me. He'd just taken a catch and giving it the big ones with the celebration, as he should. But he was the first one to come and congratulate me, and all the English players did. And I got a massive standing ovation from the crowd, really. I cost Phil Hughes 100. He was batting so well, and he was a hero of mine to watch play because he'd flay the ball through point as a stylish batter, but sort of romantic. Romantic moment and pointing the bat of my parents as I was walking off the ground.

It was cool because the reaction. Mom, she had a head in her hand.

Yeah, they jumped up and then you get out and they're like, oh, God. You know.

And what was it like going back into the dressing room?

Awesome.

Awesome.

Yeah. Just. You could tell that they were shattered for me. But everyone, I'm telling you, everyone at the ground was more disappointed than I Was. And it still remains that way. That's why it's such a great story. I think everyone feels something about that day. A lot of people know who are cricket fans exactly where they were watching that innings. But the feeling for me has never changed. You know, it's never turned into regret or disappointment or I would have rather do something else. It's always been happy, happy memories and I'm glad I sort of fell on my sword.

And what about the rest of that day and. And the reaction? I think there's a lovely picture when you. You went out to field. I think you might have got posted on the boundary in front of your. Of your mum and dad.

Yeah, I did.

There's a great picture of you smiling. I think your mom's standing up. Yeah. What was it like for the rest of that day?

It was good, but we still have.

A job to do.

I. That's what it felt like. It was great. And the crowd were loving me and I enjoyed that. You know, I made sure I didn't shy away from the crowd. You know, they'd still have their chance, that I would dance along with them and I enjoyed that moment.

But you've been taken to the hearts of the crowd, I guess.

Yeah. So it was a good way to win them over, but I really felt I just wanted to get a wicket, so I was there to bowl and that was the overwhelming feeling. Like it was so great to get the runs and it was so exciting. It was important for the Test match, no doubt, but I wanted to get a wicket.

Your mum and dad were on the radio. Our producer went and found them and got them on Test match special at tea time.

They're on everything. They're on, you know, tv. We had an interview together after the. After the day's play. They interviewed my brothers at the time. They were looking sharp, you know, where's my younger brother? He's an absolute rooster. Maybe he had his hair done, he had a shirt on, his tight pants on, you know, as was the fashion at the time. And he was laughing at arc. They spoke beautifully. They were so happy for me. But that's when, yeah, it was an absolute whirlwind of media after that. I. I couldn't tell you how many interviews they did after that.

The Prime Minister tweeted Kevin Rudd.

I know, it was. It was pandemonium.

How was your phone as well?

Phone was crazy. Blowing up. You know, Instagram was pretty new at that time and I remember my followers had jumped maybe from a few hundred to like ten thousand. Or something and you're like, what is going on? You know, it's so stupid. But yeah, it was non stop.

It's non stop. You said you, you know, you just wanted that wicket because you were in the team to bowl. And they came the next day, got Alistair Cook and Johnny Barstow out for you for your first test wickets. But really your bowling in that test match is remembered for the wicket you should have had but didn't.

That's right.

And yeah, and that was. And again, Stuart Broad was part of this series and he spoke about that moment and he's spoken about it a lot and his claim is that he is remembered as a not. Well, his claim is he is remembered as a non walker because Brad Hadding couldn't catch. Now what, what's your take on this? Because this is the famous Stuart Broad not walking at. Yeah, at Trent Bridge you were the bowler when he edged it off Haddin's gloves into Michael Clark's hands at first slip.

Yeah.

And that was the beginning really of Stuart Broad's love hate relationship or the Australian trap.

Yeah, I was on a bit of a roll at the time, so I was bowling nicely, really nicely. I had worked out a way to. My finger was ripped to pieces. So we'd glued a flap of skin down with. It's basically like surgical glue that the doctor had on him at the time. And I'd found a way to bowl across the seam. So I wasn't bowling with the seam down as you normally see. I was bowling with a scrambled seam. It's the only way I could hold it without cutting my finger. So it felt like I was starting to bowl up myself and I was getting really nice shape on the ball. Got Cook out with the ball that bounced heavily from over the wicket. Michael Clark, one handed catch, nice ball to get. Bairstow outside edge to Hatton. Things were going good and it felt like I just settled into a spell, you know, it just felt like good test match bowling, which is really nice. And I was starting to feel more comfortable out there and like I belonged. Sun was out, I mean all of that stuff and there's a bit of rough out there and I was just trying to hit this rough and there were two patches. There was like a quite a short patch and a fuller patch and I just knew even if I missed a bit short it would get in that. And that ball hit that shorter patch and spun a lot and he went to cut it, it spun in. Massive edge into Haddon's club, straight to Michael Clark and It was just like a non event, like it's just out.

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Through the ball app and you can just see me in the footage. I just start walking down the wicket to celebrate with them and they're still appealing and had just going like this. And Michael Clark's got his finger up, you know, shaking his head, walking at pace to Alimdar and I'm like, he hasn't figured this out. What? I was so confused as to what was happening. I didn't understand how the one bloke was the best viewed in the game, somehow thought that it wasn't out. And it's confusing. I know I'm piling. It's a tough job, but it was a pretty obvious one.

By Agar, a broadside, he's out. He's flicked that away to slip. I think he's been taken by Clark. They're appealing. And Alindar. Hang on. Alan Dar's saying not out. Australia have got no reviews left. Broad's coming up, leading on his back. That looked to me to be edged it straight to slip. And Alan Dar's saying not out. And Australians are furious.

I was so confused as to what was happening. I didn't understand how the one bloke was the best view in the game, somehow thought that it wasn't out. And it's confusing. I know umpire is a tough job, but it was a pretty obvious one and I was just really confused. I wasn't going to say anything to the umpire because I was new. I was horribly disappointed because it's really hard to get wickets in the test match cricket and I was on a bit of a roll and it could have been interesting to see how many wickets I might have been able to get. You never know when you're on a roll like that and you keep going. You might get five, who knows? But only what happens can happen. And I remember asking Stuart, he probably spoke about this. I don't know if he did, but I was at short cover and I was like, smashed that, didn't you? And he goes, yeah. I go, yeah, I thought so, you know. But it was a friendly Interaction, which he's like, yeah, awesome. And that was it. But you know what? Like, everyone gets in the Broady for not walking. There's no way. I wouldn't walk. You know, I'm not going to walk at that stage, no matter how obvious it is.

That's what he said. No one's a walker.

No, I'm not walking. Some guys have walked in their careers before. Cricket's hard and you need luck and you know, that luck potentially changed that chess match. He got runs and we lost by 17 runs. So he made a few runs after that. You know, to say, I haven't been lucky at times in my career. Well, I got lucky maybe in the first innings and got given not out and I make 98 instead of 6. So how I look at that is, yeah, I wanted that wicket and it wasn't a good decision. Alimdar apologised to me the next morning as we were going out. He goes, he goes, I'm sorry. He said, he came up to me, shook my hand and said, I'm sorry, young man, it's a bad decision and I respect him for that. He's trying his best and he made a mistake and that's all right. Like, it doesn't change my life. Like, it doesn't make any difference to me other than a great story. It's probably changed Stuart Broad's experiences in Australia. But Broady's a good guy and he's a, he's a great competitor. I mean, that's the hallmark of his career, just competing.

I can't imagine that your teammates took it quite so, I don't know, phlegmatically as you did.

Oh, they were furious. You can see a few. Hughes, like, there's a great photos like Haddon, Hughes and Clark all just with their hands out, you know, basically yelling out, what? And yeah, they were furious that Michael Clark, he was so angry, just in his facial expression brought.

He copped it.

Well, to an extent. But they, they knew they wouldn't walk in that situation either, so they probably didn't expect anything different from him. They were more interested in the decision. But it's a good story.

Is that a bit of a sliding doors moment for your career, though? Because you've just said, you know, if you'd got that wicket, you could have got a roll on a roll, you could have got four or five, who knows? Because you played in the, in the second Test and that was harder for you and you didn't play again in that series.

Yeah.

And you only played three More Test matches. Do you look at that as like, I can't be given that out. Who knows what might have happened?

Not at all. My finger was ripped to pieces. I was in a lot of pain, like trying to bowl. I knew that my action was falling apart because I could feel it out there and I knew I could bowl so much better. It was really difficult to deal with mentally. You know, you got to be pretty resilient as a 19 year old trying to bowl out in the middle in a Test match, knowing that, you know, when you're your best with no, no experience, experience behind you and you're trying to work it out in a Test match and you don't know how to work it out, you have no blueprint for how you go about things. You've just bowled as a kid your whole life and you've enjoyed it. So that's a insight into my mindset. I've never believed in what if, could have. What if this happened, what if that happened? I'm literally never believed in that. So now I wouldn't say it's a sliding doors moment at all. I think even if I got six for that game, I don't think I would have bowled any differently in the next Test match. You know, I went in the next Test match with a ripped up finger, but I was trying not. I didn't want to say anything, you know, I wasn't going to rule myself out of a Test match, but it was a pretty bad feeling going to the next Test. I must admit. It's really difficult being out there at Lords, sort of wishing that I wasn't bowling. Because you're the one that the spotlight's on. Everyone's watching you, you know that you're so much better than what you're delivering.

And the spotlight's been turned up because of what's happened at Trent. Absolutely.

And you know you're better than what you're delivering and you just wish you could showcase it, but confidence wasn't there. The feeling. My hand was completely gone from that feeling in my finger. So I had no real control over what I was delivering. And it was a pretty lonely place, I'll be quite honest. It was really difficult and I was so relieved when I got dropped for the third test. Incredible sense of relief. It was pretty exhausting after that week getting through that because you have to, you just have to put on a brave face and you keep going and try and do a job for your country, because I understood. But that's such an important thing. And I wasn't taking that for granted. And I realistically look at the figures, I didn't bowl that bad. You know, I probably went two and a half and zero for the test. But I knew that I could have done a lot better and that was tough.

How long did you struggle with your action for after that?

Probably a year, I would say. Just trying to piece it all back together because it got thrown out of whack. My stride got a bit longer, which meant I was delivering the ball from a bit further behind myself, which meant I didn't have the up and down shape that I'd had the year before to spin and bounce and the shape through the air. So there's a big flow on effect of and I guess what it does for your. For your confidence. And the thing is, I came home then I was playing again for WA and I was still trying to work it out in the middle with no real help. I had no help in wa. I mean, Michael Beer wasn't helping me because he was my competitor spinner. He went into play for WA and there were no spin coaches at the time. Like I had no resources that were that could help me. So I was trying to work it out for myself. It was very difficult, Very, very difficult. But the good thing is I'd always put time in other disciplines and I was trying to bat well and field well and just try and do my best with the ball while I could. The Lord's Test was tough because I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be cricket wise and felt like I wasn't going very well. It was a lonely place to be and I wanted to experience Lords as the most magical place on earth. And at the time it was the worst place on earth, you know, if that makes sense. It was tough, but the best part was meeting the Queen.

That doesn't happen all the time. She only went to certain test matches.

Yeah, it was.

So it was before the game.

It was before the game. The game I'm pretty sure started late because the Queen was late. And obviously you're going to wait for the Queen of England. And she arrived. Michael Clark introduced her to everyone and we had to address her as your Majesty. And she came to me and she shook my hand. She goes, this is your first time here, isn't it? And I said, it is. She goes, oh, well, good luck then. Have a good time. And I could not believe it. I was like, oh, my God. The Queen knew it was me and knew that it was my first time at Lourdes, which is pretty special. So that's a very important moment because Queen Elizabeth, I mean, you ask anyone from England, they absolutely adore her. And a lot of Australians adore her as well. And I'm one of them. So to meet the Queen, I'm pretty proud of that moment. And the fact that she said that to me is, you know, that's pretty big. Looking back on it.

Well, it shows just how much you captured the imagination in the previous weeks.

The Queen knew it's nice. I mean, that's the thing, to feel something is good. And I felt the same way. Watching Sam Constance play in his debut took a lot of inspiration from that because I think I felt a bit of what he was feeling. He was just riding the wave, mate, and he went for it and he just fully expressed himself out there on the biggest stage at the time and that's how it felt for me. So, you know, hopefully, you know, hopefully it made someone feel something positive.

And that third test when Nathan Line came in, yeah, that was his start of.

Oh, beautifully.

That was the start of his running scene. And, you know, it's hard to get past Nathan Lyon. And you only played three more test matches after that. I think that started him playing 100 consecutive Tests for Australia.

Yeah. And he any old beautiful. I remember watching him in his first over in the game at Manchester, he spun one past the bat and you could just tell like he changed his action. He had. He was. That's when he started turning himself side on and using his back leg quite a lot and it was just a lot more efficient. And the shape he was getting on the ball was quite special and you felt like the evolution of that was going to be pretty good. And he also started bowling around the wicket in the Durham Test match, which is kicked off a lot of his bowling to right handers at that time. He'd come around the wicket and target the outside edge really well. So there are a couple of big moments for him there. And you know, to Nath's credit, he was so supportive of me the whole time. He has been throughout my whole career. That would have been really tough for him being dropped for the first couple of tests and I know that really hurt him, but it never changed his attitude towards me. He was just there to support me as much as he could with foaling. So, you know, I've always been grateful for that and for his character.

One thing we haven't touched on, I guess just as a bit of a final thought, was the man that you shared that partnership with because Phil Hughes lost His life just over a year later, how do you sort of reflect on that as having shared that experience with him?

Lucky. Very, very lucky. There's more to it. I had a photo of Phil playing for New South Wales up on my bedroom wall. KFC T20 in Australia, before it was the big bash, and he was playing one of his signature windmill cut shots. My brothers and I loved how he played the game, particularly my brother Will. My brother Will loved Phil so much. He was his favorite player. And he actually has one of Phil's bats that Phil gave to me during that time, and it. Will still has it, you know, sits pride of place in his house. And Will's 30 now, that's one of his prized possessions. So in the lead up to batting with Phil, it was like I was batting with someone I looked up to. And I remember watching his first Test series against South Africa where he made those hundreds, and it was amazing. And then getting to share one of the biggest moments of my life so far with him and credit him for teaching me something about resilience and staying present and what that does for you in terms of performance. That's a huge, huge lesson. And he showed me that in real time. And that's a mature thing to do for a young man. And it's just a special time to spend together. He's gone now, and everyone loved him, you know, he was such a fun guy. So funny. He would finish the game, and I remember one day he was just on his phone looking at cattle auctions, you know, back at home for his farm, you know, trying to buy cattle. That's what he really cared about. He was a good cricketer as well. Just a beautiful man. So I feel lucky to spend that time with him and grateful for the lessons that he taught me.

And coincidentally, I think not long after, after he lost his life. You made 98? Yeah. In club game, in the grade game.

Yeah, it was kind of spooky, actually. It was the first game back that any Creek game was played. And there was a big 408, like, painted on the ground at uni and at every ground, we had a minute of silence before the game. And it was. That was tough. You know, a lot of blokes were in tears and stuff. And I remember just trying to be, like, pretty strong that day. And I remember feeling, like, quiet but focused. And when I was batting, I was actually thinking about our innings sort of thing, what he was telling me at that time. And it just so happens, like, I was on that he had a nicked a ball to second slip. And. Yeah, who knows? I don't know if anything happens for a reason or not. I don't think about that too much. But it's kind of scary that it happened that way. It was nice that it happened that way.

We spent an hour talking about that day, that innings, and it seems to me like your memories of it are really, really vivid.

Very.

But you. I think you also just said you'd watched it a lot.

Yeah.

How many times do you reckon you've watched it?

Hard to say. In the last eight years, like five times, you know, more in the last 10 years. Hardly. Hardly any. In the year after that. A lot, you know, you'd watch it with family and friends, and I'd watch it back for confidence. And I'd actually watch it back as a reference point to the way I was batty, like it was all about. The reason I'd watch it wasn't to make myself feel good about the moment. It was because it was really. I played really well and I actually loved how I was picking the bat up. I was ripping the bat up and it was like flying up past my ears. And then I'd just fall down on the ball and I'd either just stop the ball or I'd go through it. So technically, the way I was batting is great, and I've probably been trying to get back to that ever since, but it's really hard to replicate a single moment in time. So, yeah, that's why I'd watch it. And then it's nice to, like you said, hear Ian Botham's voice. That's the really memorable part about. About watching. And that makes you feel good, judging.

By the smile on your face throughout talking about it. I think I know the answer to this question, but I'm going to ask it anyway because it's written down. Is it the 98 you made or the two you didn't make?

The 98 I made, yeah. I never really thought about it, too, that I didn't. I don't really believe in what could have happened. Just really happy for what happened that day. Glad it's made a lot of people happy and glad. We can talk about it now with a fondness and hopefully it inspired some.

People and I'm sure you would have wanted more from your test career, but not many people, you know, there'll be a lot of people who've played more Ashes tests. Yeah. And not got that place in history that you have.

That's right. It's. It's not about that. You know, you just do the do the best with what's in front of you. And I did a good job that day and I rode the wave and that's, that's how it happened. I felt like I was courageous and brave and that's what I'm most pleased about. But you know, it doesn't speak anything of anyone else's time. Playing an Ashes Test. I think played an Ashes test, it's a pretty cool experience and that's a, that's a pretty important shared experience to have and it's crowd club to be a part of.

Well, that was from the Ashes with Ashton Agar, the final episode in this series. If you want to hear the rest, find them on BBC Sounds and you can read more about Ashton and Story and the others in this series on the BBC Sport website and app. Remember, BBC Sounds is where you can hear live ball by ball commentary every day of the Ashes series. The Test Match Special team will be in place at Optus Stadium on Friday morning. There will also be a daily podcast from the team in Australia throughout this series, so make sure you're subscribed to get a notification every time we upload. That's all for now. We'll speak to you next time.

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