Ashton Agar, the 19-year-old Victorian born cricketer who currently ply’s his trade with the West Australian Warriors, broke numerous records on his way to a score of 98. His effort became the highest score by a number 11 batsman in the history of Test cricket, bettering West Indian bowler Tino Best’s effort of 95 – also against England – last year.
In response to Agar’s phenomenal innings the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, took to Twitter to congratulate the young man. He also (perhaps as a bit of a joke) declared that the 12th of July should henceforth be known as ‘Ashton Agar Day’.
Twitter, so often a source of anonymous hatred and bile, was almost universal in its praise for the young Australian who fell just two runs short of what would have been a remarkable debut century. The hashtag ‘gutted for Agar’ trending even amongst English supporters.
Graeme Swann, the English cricketer who caught Agar off the bowling of Stuart Broad even found himself being bombarded by people on his Twitter saying he should have put the debutant down in the deep. Swann – who was first to congratulate Agar on his wonderful innings – responded incredulously.
Swann tweeted: “Those of you suggesting I should’ve dropped him to let him get a ton are surely joking? Or helmets?”
Did he just call thousands of people ‘helmets’? Is being a helmet a bad thing?
Anyway, while Ashton Agar day isn’t quite a public holiday in Australia just yet, if the young man can continue his cricketing heroics throughout the rest of the Ashes series it might soon become one.
Image: Getty
