WI vs AUS | Spin will play a key role in the powerplay, asserts Ashton Agar

Australia's white-ball tour against West Indies begins on July 10 starting with the five-match T20I series in St Lucia. West Indies are coming from a shocking 3-2 series defeat to South Africa despite playing with their full-strength squad in T20Is.

"I can certainly see it playing quite a significant role. Yesterday the ball kept a little bit low (and) there was a bit of purchase. The wicket certainly slowed up towards the back end, so it was also a challenge for finding out the right speed to bowl," Agar said in a press conference. 

"For me, I quite like doing it because it means my game is growing. As a cricketer, I'm just trying to be as adaptable and usable as possible. I'm just trying to get as good as I can at everything I can,” he added.  

"With T20 pitches, you're not always going to get raging turners or ones that go underground. Generally, around the world, they're pretty flat but not in the subcontinent or in the West Indies. History shows us that they might be a little bit more friendly to us."

"Obviously Zamps [Adam Zampa] and I have enjoyed a really nice partnership over the last couple of years. [Mitchell Swepson] is bowling beautifully and so is Tanveer Sangha. And we all work really closely together, we actually have great relationships with each other, so it's a lot of fun. We talk about that opportunity and it's really nice to be a part of a spin group that just genuinely care about each other,” Agar said. 

"I guess you can say we're fighting for spots if you want to put it that way but to be honest we're trying to help each other get better and better every time we train and play together, so it's a lot of fun. And, yeah, certainly that increased opportunity is always something to look forward to, so hopefully, the wickets are spin-friendly,” he added. 

"It's tough. I find it quite hard, if I'm being honest. Coming in down the order, and trying to make as many runs off as few balls as possible is a tough task for anyone. But that's the role I'm there to play, and I've been working really hard to try and get better at it," Agar said. 

"I think I've identified a few areas, so I think playing the pull shot is a really important shot to have, and trying to get better at hitting slower balls is really important too. You don't often get two balls in the same spot or the same speed,” he concluded.