Brad Hodge (The worlds most hard done by batsman)

[Quagmire]

Brad Hodge has been the man that is always on the brink of the Australian side and just cant get a shot, he was always known as the best batsman ever in Australia to not get a test cap. In the 2005/06 season he debuted for Australia a the age of 30 years old against the West Indies at Hobart and came out with a brillaint 60 in the first innings but was overshadowed by the brilliance of of Hussey and Hayden who both scored hundreds opening the batting. Then he did not get a bat in the second innings. He then went on with the to 3rd test at Perth where he got starts but couldnt go on to make a score 18 & 23. The South Africa came over and the first test was in Perth where Hodge made 41 in the first innings and 203* in the second, it would have been a dream come true and he would have thought after all those years of trying he finally made it, from then on he made scores of 7, 24, 6 and 27* and was dropped for the tour of South Africa for Damien Martyn. Hodge has not played a test since.

Brad Hodges Batting Career
Test - 5 tests, 9 innings 409 runs at 58.42, hs 203*, SR 51.77, 1x100, 1x50
ODI - 15 matches, 15 innings, 516 runs at 39.69, Hs 123, SR 93.98, 1x100, 3x50
First Class - 190 matches, 335 innings, 14735 runs at 48.79, Hs 302*, 45x100, 55x50
List A - 188 matches 182 innings, 6472 runs at 40.19, Hs 164, 14x100, 34x50
Twenty20 - 27 matches, 27 innings, 1211 runs at 50.45, Hs 106, SR 145.55, 1x100, 10x50

Just looking at his career can he ever get back into the side

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

Just looking at his career can he ever get back into the side

His face must not fit - I would have Brad Hodge in the England side to replace any England batsman with the posssible exception of Pietersen.

[Quagmire]

Well whos place could he have taken in the last ashes series.

Langer -
Hayden -
Ponting
Clarke - since being reintroduced into the test side he has averaged 77.8 and has been brilliant in ODI's as well
Hussey -
Symonds - allrounder
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Clark
McGrath

The only two spots he could take would be Symonds or Clarke and they are both playing the best cricket of there careers. Its a tough game cricket just because your a better batsman some one younger will nearly always get the nod ahead of you.

[Nostromo]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

Well whos place could he have taken in the last ashes series.

Yes, it is a difficult problem, but methinks that Symonds would not really have been chosen for Tests on his batting alone; the varied bowling got him in. But IMO Symonds is a specialist ODI player and Hodge would have been a better Test batsman had be been given the chances that he deserved. Since Hodge is not an opener, he cannot replace Langer; so the only way Oz can include Hodge is by getting some regular to open with Hayden thereby creating a place for the former down the order. Gilchrist cannot be risked to open in Tests and so the only other alternative is to ask Hussey to open and send Hodge in as No:4.

[greg]

Brad Hodge is the up to date version of Stuart Law,for some reason no matter what he does his face doesn't fit if others are available.

[Nostromo]

Brad Hodge looks steady and solid as a batsman, can score reasonably quickly and is good for both Tests & ODIs. Yet gets left out regularly; maybe they should make a movie about him and call it "Cinderella Man 2" .

He has a predecessor. In the 1920s & 30s England persistently ignored the Lancashire left hander Eddie Paynter despite an early double century in a test (like Hodge). He ended up playing just 20 tests averaging 58 per innings.

Yes, looks like some people's faces just don't fit.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

Well whos place could he have taken in the last ashes series.

That's a question that can't be answered, however forgetting the Ashes (as soon as possible) I think Hodge has a lot more to offer Australia, than Symonds with his all round skills.

[EllN]

But on paper symonds will get picked due to a pretty much all round ability, he is one of the best fielders, a hard hitting batsman with a oxthordox style, bowls medium and spin, so really a man for any problem, but your counter argument may be hodge can bowl spin and an orthodox hard hitting batsman but but his spin is not used enough in first class games so hje cannot be throwen into the internationale mix at test level

[Ernest]

All-rounders seem to go of the boil - Symonds has done well of late, but over a period of time, my money would be on Brad Hodge to be the better player.

[Nostromo]

There is no question that at Test level Hodge is a much better prospect than Symonds. Hodge is a much better and more reliable batsman and a good fielder in his own right. I don't think his limited spin bowling is an issue; Symonds own bowling is not likely to make a big difference in Tests.

Symonds is unquestionably imporatant in ODIs, but that does not always have to be at Hodge's expense. At nearly 36, Hayden has had his day and should think about making way for younger players after the World Cup. Also, no player should be considered indispensable if he is temporarily out of form like Hussey seems to be at the moment.