Agar over Swepson for Bangladesh Tests

Ashton Agar is likely to be picked ahead of uncapped leg spinner Mitchell Swepson for the first Test against Bangladesh due to the former’s accuracy and superior batting, The Roar reports.

The 23-year-old Swepson was drafted into Australia’s squad for the two-Test tour on Saturday as a replacement for injured pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.

Starc has been rested for the Bangladesh series and James Pattison was withdrawn after a back complaint.

Jackson Bird, who replaced Pattison is likely to sit out the first Test as Australia follow the selection model comprising two frontline quicks and two spinners.

Agar and Swespson will battle it out for a spot beside already established first choice spinner Nathan Lyon.

Australia’s spin department took a hit due to the omission of Steve O’Keefe because of drunken incident at a Sydney function in April, his second alcohol-fuelled breach in 12 months, and he was also excluded from the list of nationally contracted players.

O’Keefe was very successful during the India tour where he picked up 19 wickets.

Captain Steve Smith said Agar would get the chance to impress in Bangladesh.

"Now is probably a chance to move on to someone else and Ashton Agar's going to get his opportunity," Smith told Cricket Australia's website (cricket.com.au).

"(Agar) has been around for a while now and it's another chance for him to have a crack in spin-friendly conditions and hopefully he can go really well for us.

"I have (spoken to O'Keefe) and he was disappointed, which is fair enough. He understands where we're heading.

"He's getting a bit older now and our next tour back to India is in four years' time and we've got to find the right group of guys that are going to be there for that series,” the captain concluded.

Swepson had impressed Australia skipper early in last year's Test tour to Sri Lanka when he was part of Cricket Australia's National Performance Squad that had been gaining sub-continent experience in Chennai, was enlisted to help Smith's men prepare for their opening game.

Swepson, who was part of Cricket Australia's National Performance Squad during last year’s Test tour to Sri Lanka had impressed skipper Smith – he bowled at the nets to help Smith’s men prepare for the opening game.

"I have to say I was impressed with quite a few of the young spinners, and Queensland leggie Mitchell Swepson caught my eye in the sessions where I saw him bowl," Smith wrote in his Sri Lanka tour blog for cricket.com.au.

"He puts a lot of revs on the ball and he was pretty accurate as well."

Swepson told cricket.com.au: I've done a bit of net bowling to the Aussies (Test players) before.”

The spinner was also part of the India tour though he didn’t get a game.

"I got plenty of bowling done, even though I didn’t get a game (and) the whole tour was just a great experience in itself.

"Plenty of conversations with all the players there and I was a bit of a sponge and soaked it all in, so it was an awesome experience and I took a lot out of it,” Swepson concluded.