AUSTRALIA’s joker in The Ashes pack ‘didn’t really stand out’ when he played against High Wycombe CC at the start of the summer, according to one of the London Road bowlers who faced him.

Ashton Agar is the talk of cricket today after turning the first Test against England on it’s head with a staggering knock of 98 at Trent Bridge in his first ever international innings.

His score set a new world record for a number 11 batsman while his last-wicket partnership of 163 with Phil Hughes was also a new record.

But Sohail Hussain, who played against Agar when the Aussie wild card lined up for Henley against Wycombe in the Home Counties League on May 11, admits he wasn’t overly impressed.

He said: “He didn’t really stand out much as a cricketer and there’s not a lot in his action, he just relies on putting it in the right place.

“He seemed a bit arrogant because he’s been playing first class cricket, like he thought he was better than us, but he didn’t rip through the innings. He had reasonable figures, nothing special.

“But he’s obviously a much better bowler than what he showed against us otherwise he wouldn’t be where he is now.”

Agar ended the match against Wycombe with figures of 2-33 from nine overs and was dismissed for four by Alan Duncan – but just two months down the line he was writing his name in Ashes folklore.

Hussain, who took three wickets in the Henley match, said: “It’s good to know that someone we played against is playing in The Ashes, but it’s a bit of a surprise.

“The Ashes is the pinnacle of Test cricket and it’s a massive leap from the Home Counties League.

“He’d been playing in the A team matches for Australia, but I didn’t expect him to play in The Ashes, especially not the first Test.

“Kevin Pietersen has a thing with left arm spinners and maybe that’s why he was called up, but I don’t think England will have any problems with him.”

Meanwhile, Duncan, who works for the MCC and didn’t want to comment on his increasingly famous delivery, texted Test Match Special saying: “Clearly [he] wasn’t in this kind of form when I got him out playing for High Wycombe earlier this season.”

High Wycombe host the now Agarless Henley in the rematch on Saturday.