Grown-up Agar to lead the way for WA

Former Test spinning prodigy Ashton Agar has made maturing as a cricketer his top priority this Australian summer.

It's been three years since the Western Australian's stunning ascension to the Ashes series in England, when he made headlines with an unlikely 98 from No.11 on debut.

And after continuing his strong start to the Sheffield Shield season with a career-best six-wicket haul on day two against NSW on Saturday, he has set his sights on more Tests.

But this time, he wants to do it as more of a leader.

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"The end goal is obviously to play for Australia but this summer, I want to play a really mature role in the team," said the 23-year-old. "I'm young, but I'm not young and inexperienced anymore.

"I think this is my 41st game of first class cricket. I've played enough games to know what to do now.

"I want to play a mature role with the ball and be able to hold when I need to, attack when I need to, do that job for the team really well and be someone the team can rely on."

He was certainly that player for the Warriors in the Blues' first innings at the SCG, bowling a mammoth 36 overs to take 6-110 on a spinner's paradise.

He also showed his toughness by playing through an injured finger late in the day.

"I got a fingertip to (a ball while fielding) and I knew straightaway this came out of the joint, but it went in pretty cleanly. There's no damage to the bone I don't think," he said.

The performance came one day after NSW tweaker Stephen O'Keefe cemented his status as the nation's No.2 spinner by grabbing his first five-wicket bag at the SCG.

Agar underwent major shoulder surgery over the winter that forced him to miss an Australia A series in July.

And with O'Keefe going down with a tour-ending hamstring injury on Australia's Test series in Sri Lanka not long after, it meant Agar potentially missed the chance to again don the Baggy Green, with fellow left-arm spinner Jon Holland instead getting the nod.

But Agar said he's simply happy to be back on the park.

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"It was disappointing because I felt in good touch actually. I'd been doing a lot of work up at the academy and I felt like I was going well," he said.

"But what can I do. I've tried to be really positive about it. My rehab's gone really well and I haven't missed too much cricket of this season which is what's really important.

"Shield cricket is the main event, really. I'm happy to be no the park."

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