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Biography

Ashton Turner (born 25 January 1993) is an all-rounder who debuted for Western Australia during the 2012–13 season, and is also contracted to the Perth Scorchers. From Perth, Turner represented Western Australia at under-15 (schoolboys), under-17 and under-19 level and captained the under-17 team to their National Championships win.

Mainly a right-arm off spinner, he toured India with the Australian under-19 team in September and October 2011, taking eight wickets from six matches in a quadrangular tournament involving the Australian, Indian, Sri Lankan, and West Indian under-19 teams. At the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, he was Australia's first-choice spinner, ahead of Victoria's Ashton Agar, (Agar was injured and did not play in the World Cup) and took eleven wickets from six matches, with his best figures 4/28 against Nepal.

Turner was one of the better players for the National Performance Squad in the 2014 winter series, posting scores of 73, 59 and 41. While in England, Turner was selected to make his first-class debut in July 2013 in a tour match for the Australians against Sussex, although he did not take a wicket from four overs on debut. As time has gone on, Turner has managed to become a reliable batting all-rounder for Western Australia and has shown his skills in the BBL as well.

Like quite a few other rookie players, Turner too got picked for the T20I series against Sri Lanka at home in early 2017 due to the resting of elite players for the India tour. He featured in all three games and while he couldn't get going with the bat, his bowling was fairly decent as he was able to put a lid on the scoring rate. A naturally attacking batsman, Turner is capable of being a Glenn Maxwell-kind of player albeit without the same unorthodox stuff but effective nevertheless. In addition to his hitting skills and tidy off spin, Turner is also an excellent fielder.

Relentless success in the domestic circuit and the BBL enabled Turner to force his way into the ODI squad in the 2018-19 season, eventually landing a debut in the ODI series in India. In just his second game, he produced a typical Turner finish to stun a quality Indian attack and help Australia chase down a mammoth target of 359. But that wasn't enough to seal a place in the World Cup squad as Australia had Warner and Smith coming back into the fold post the ban. The selectors went for Shaun Marsh and Marcus Stoinis for the middle-order duties. But with plenty of age on his side, Turner will definitely wear the Australian jersey more often than not.

IPL through the years

The 2019 season will be Ashton Turner’s first taste of the Indian Premier League. A strong T20 batsman who is hailed as a clinical finisher in Australia over the years, it’s his antics in the Big Bash League that shot him to the limelight. Turner’s signing by the Royals at the 2019 auctions was regarded as one of the smartest picks and in March 2019, his innings during the ODI series in India proved to the world why he is rated so highly. With many senior stars already in the RR squad, it’s difficult to see Turner starting straightaway but the Aussie should get his chances at some stage. His ability to hit the ball a country-mile, coupled with a good cricketing brain makes Turner an exciting prospect to have in any T20 side. He is also an excellent fielder and can bowl part time off spin. Incidentally, he first came as a bits-and-pieces all rounder who could bat and bowl a bit before shifting his focus mostly towards the willow. A definite value addition to the Royals roster.

Ashton Turner's IPL caravan didn't have anything to write home about though as he registered three consecutive ducks playing for Rajasthan Royals.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan