Australia defeated South Africa by a massive margin of 107 runs a massive 107-run win over South Africa — their heaviest defeat in the format — in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on Friday. The hero of Australia’s colossal win was the southpaw all-rounder Ashton Agar who starred with both the bat and ball.
While batting, Agar gave Australia the much-needed impetus towards the end, scoring 20 off just nine balls and then bowled brilliantly to return with figures of 5/24, including a hat-trick. After his match-winning performance, Agar revealed that having a chat with the Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja after the India series gave him a lot of confidence.
Agar expressed that Jadeja is his “favorite player in the world,” and he would like to emulate his performances on the field. During the post-match press conference, he said, “He’s my favorite player in the world – I want to play cricket as he does.”
WATCH – Match-winning Hat-trick Of Ashton Agar
Explaining the qualities that make Jadeja stand out from other all-rounders, the southpaw spinner said that he contributes in all three departments of the game — be it batting, bowling or fielding, which makes him an “absolute rockstar.”
Showering praises to the Indian all-rounder, Agar said, “He’s an absolute rockstar. He smacks them, gun fielder, and spins the ball. But it’s just his presence when he’s out there, watching him filled me with confidence. And just talking to him about spin bowling, (he said to) keep trying to spin the ball. When (he’s) batting, he has a positive attitude, and he takes that attitude into the field as well. So I was pretty inspired by talking to him.”
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The second T20I of the three-match series is scheduled to be played at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth on February 23. While Australia will look to seal the series, the hosts will be eyeing to keep the series alive and take it to the third match in Cape Town.
After the T20I series, both the teams will play three 50-over games, scheduled to commence on February 29.
