Northampton: Having lost out to Fawad Ahmed for the secondary spinner's berth for Australia's winter Test tour, of the West Indies and England, Ashton Agar is well placed to snare it for their next tour, to Bangladesh in   October. 
Chief Australian selector Rod Marsh said the 21-year-old's selection for Australia's post-Ashes limited-overs series was also done in recognition the team has, in a number of formats, "got quite a bit of time in the subcontinent coming up".
"Just looking forward to Bangladesh, everyone tells me that Chittagong turns square. What's our best attack for Chittagong? It's probably not three fast bowlers and one spinner. It might be two quicks, two all-rounders and two spinners," Marsh said in Northampton when announcing Australia's limited-overs squad.
While Nathan Lyon is ensconced as Australia's No.1 Test spinner - to the extent selectors don't want to risk his high confidence by selecting him against an England one-day team dominated by right-handers he would be spinning the ball in to - selectors are looking to slow bowlers who spin the ball in the opposite direction, hence the selection of Agar - although consideration was also given to NSW's Steve O'Keefe.
Ahmed was picked for the Test tours to the West Indies and England on the back of his dominant Sheffield Shield season. He had not played a Test and, concerningly for his prospects for Bangladesh, his bowling in his few practice-match appearances and training has not impressed the Australian hierarchy.
"He (Ahmed) didn't do a bad job at all [when played ODIs after 2013 Ashes], but we've opted for Ashton because we just reckon that with what's coming up a left-arm orthodox is going to be [vital]. There could, in fact, be two left-arm orthodox on some of these tours, and it could be we [also] have Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell. It could be that we take theoretically four spinners on these future tours . . . and it would be lovely to have a leggie as well, but at this point in time he hasn't bowled particularly well over here - but . . . he hasn't had many opportunities," Marsh said. "It's a tough call [on Ahmed], you'd like to see him do well. He did very well in shield cricket, but at this stage he's not in."