Saint Ashton, My Saviour

It was a sad and sorry picture. There I was, sitting in solitude at my dimly lit desk, head in hands and on the verge of tears. Anger, frustration, despair welling up inside of me, ready to burst out at any moment. Another innings, another collapse. James Pattinson had just been caught dead in front by Graeme Swann, Australia teetering at 117-9 in the first innings of the first Ashes test, still trailing England by 98. Never in my life had I felt so ready to give up. Never in my life had I felt so ready to throw in the towel for the game of cricket. And then out walked Ashton Agar...

I had seen him do it before for Western Australia, making crucial runs and winning matches from almost impossible positions. We almost made the Shefield Shield final on the back of his batting performances, particularly his 71 not out against Tasmania in February. But surely, I thought, not in a test match. An Ashes test match no less, with Australia having just lost 5-9 and Jimmy Anderson reverse swinging the ball around corners.

But the 19-year old batted with a certain calmness and maturity, not befitting his tender age. He used his experience on the hard and bouncy WACA wicket to play his pull and hook shots, drove straight and through the ball with his giant Marcus North-esque backlift, and defended with stern authority. He took on Graeme Swann, one of the world's best spin bowlers, using his feet and stillness at the crease to great effect to strike the ball long and hard. He showed the rest of the Aussie team how Swann must be played for the rest of the series.

He also kicked Phil Hughes into gear, and the New South Welshman played the most mature and secure innings I have ever seen him play. It was the perfect confidence booster for Hughes - him playing well will be a big factor if Australia is to be competitive in this Ashes series.

And then, Ashton Agar was on 98. Australia lead by 65, and seemingly the whole of Australia held their breath. After a few nervy plays and misses, he middled a cracking pull shot... straight down the throat of Graeme Swann. I couldn't believe it. Not again! I was watching when Warnie fell for 99 in Perth. I was in utter despair as Mitchell Starc nicked behind in India for 99, only a few months ago. And now this. My heart was pumping, my hands were shaking... and I was just speechless. The blow wasn't an easy one to take, but it was made just that little bit easier as he walked of the ground, the biggest smile on his face, taking in what was surely the proudest moment of his life.

As Ashton Agar walked off the Trent Bridge ground, a world record innings under his belt and an unfailing grin on his face, he would have known that he had, almost single-handedly, given his team a fighting chance in the test match. What he didn't know was that he had just reignited the passion and love for the game of one cricket tragic watching back home, sitting in solitude at his dimly lit desk, now with an equally big grin on his face.