Batting at number seven is a 'difficult role', says Ashton Agar

Australia spinner Ashton Agar has said that batting at number seven is difficult as making the most out of the minimal balls available is not an easy task.

Australia spinner Ashton Agar has said that batting at number seven is difficult as making the most out of the minimal balls available is not an easy task. Australia have already lost the three-match T20I series against England after coming up short in the first two matches. The side had lost the first T20I by two runs, while in the second match which was played on Sunday, Australia had to endure a six-wicket loss.

Agar has managed to scalp four wickets in the two T20Is. He picked up two scalps each in the first two matches of the series. With the bat in hand, Agar registered crucial 23 runs in the second T20I to take Australia's total past the 150-run mark. "It is a difficult role (batting at number seven), coming in with minimal balls left, you could be in a difficult position when you come into bat, generally there are batsmen at the other end and the major role is to give them the strike. I am trying to play some better cricket shots, I try to take the game deep and yesterday was a small example of that," Agar said in a virtual press conference on Monday.

The ongoing series between England and Australia is being played behind closed doors as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. Talking about the absence of crowds, Agar replied: "It is weird playing without crowds, usually there is a bit of banter from the crowd here in England, not having them inside the stadiums is a bit strange, but I think we have done a good job in forgetting about that and just getting on with the game."

Australia have lost the T20I series against England, but the side would be looking to win the final game in order to maintain its number one ranking in the shortest format of the game. If England manage to win the final T20I, the Three Lions would become the number one ranked side in T20I cricket.

"There is never a leeway in international cricket, there are a lot of positives that we have got from this series, in the first T20I we bowled really well, we had a small collapse there and that obviously hurt us. It really hurts to lose a series, we know we are a really good team, we need to win a couple of small moments and we will be right up there in terms of win. We take a lot of pride in being the number one team in the world in this format, it is a lot of fun, so it would be good if we can hold on to our number one spot," Agar said. "We were never rusty, it is a really really good feeling to be playing international cricket again, we love doing that. After a long break, we have done some good things, we came close to winning both the matches, I feel like our preparation was really good and we just need to translate it into a couple of wins," he added.

The third and final T20I of the three-match series will be played on Tuesday, September 8 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. After the T20I series, England and Australia would lock horns in three-match ODI series, slated to begin from Friday, September 11 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. (ANI)

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