Test squad Hodge's reward

[Sportz]

From FOX Sports:

Test squad Hodge's reward
March 2, 2005

VICTORIAN batsman Brad Hodge has been named in the Australian squad for this month's three-Test series with New Zealand.

Hodge is in the squad for a second time having made the tour to India late last year, where he played just one first-class fixture and made 30 and 29 not out against Mumbai.

National selection chairman Trevor Hohns said Hodge's inclusion is reward for another fine domestic season.

The squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (v-capt), Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne

[fearlessone77]

Darren Lehmann better hope he fails or it could be curtains for boof thanks to the surgery that kept him out of this series.

[Sportz]

I don't think he would have been picked anyway. I think he's finished as far as playing for Australia is concerned.

[DR RON]

I think Hodge is one of those players who can make plenty against ordinary attacks yet cant seem to do it against the elite. I dont think he will get a test anyway.

[mug punta]

Top call Ron. Hodge has never even played a test so ur bagging him before he's even had a go. He made a double ton against India when they were out here 2 years ago.

[andyfox]

Hodge has to prove himself against a bigger bowling side than INDIA, common india's bowling attack is like a sunday league team and honestly sometimes not strong enough for international cricket.. they know they have the batting to save them but that struggles soemtimes too... if hodge wants to prove himself he has to hit big runs against the Pakistan or West Indies bowling

[Sportz]

No offence Andy, but you obviously haven't really kept up to date with Cricket. The current West Indian bowling line-up poses no threat whatsoever and now that they don't have Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and Shoaib is unreliable, the Pakistanis aren't that brilliant either.

[Chuck]

got agree sportz, India have one of the best bowling attacks in the world and the windides and pakis are in not great shape
INDIA: Harbajan, Kumble, Pathan, Khan...very strong. Singh + Kumble work very well together, one turning it in and one away. Similar with the pace bowlers, two left arm swing bowlers
WINDIES: Dillon, Bravo, Bradshaw, Collins, whoever else they want to throw in...ordinary to the max
PAKIS: Aktar, Sami, Razzaq, Kaneria/afridi...aktar hardly plays, razzaq is just stock standard medium pace, kaneria + afridid are ok

Apart from the aussies i think India have the best attack in the world, and, backed up with the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag + ganguly they have a class team on paper

[Chuck]

BTW i think you got the two teams mixed up Sportz!

[mug punta]

Hodge has to prove himself against a bigger bowling side than INDIA, common india's bowling attack is like a sunday league team and honestly sometimes not strong enough for international cricket.. they know they have the batting to save them but that struggles soemtimes too... if hodge wants to prove himself he has to hit big runs against the Pakistan or West Indies bowling

The best attacks in world cricket, OTHER THAN THE BLEEDING OBVIOUS, is india, england and Sri lanka. The pakis and windies are ORDINARY!!
How you blokes are hanging Hodge when he hasn't even had a go yet is absolutely beyond me. He topped the shield runs last year with an average somewhere around 100 and this year after a slow start he is in absolutely scintillating form and has finished with around 800 runs.
He is GOOD, don't worry about that and if he gets a go he'll shut all his critics up.

[Sportz]

BTW i think you got the two teams mixed up Sportz!

How??? Perhaps you got confused by how I phrased it. I guess I should have said it like this:

The West Indies pose no threat to anyone, and now that Pakistan don't have Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis and Shoaib is unreliable, they aren't that brilliant either.

[Chuck]

ah, yeah sorry, reading too quickly i guess!

[andyfox]

Curently yes the indian attac has become one to be feared in international cricket but u must understand that they have only around recently.The one that Hodge played against was not. The bowling attack of India is good no doubt with the likes of Pathan, Blagi maybe,Khan, Singh and Kumble. But i guess its a matter of opinion. It has always been said in recent time that india rely mainly on their batting to get them the victory because their batting lineup is if anything tied with the aussie, could be better with Sachin, Sehwag, Ganguly,Dravid, Yuvraj,Laxman but their lack of part time bowlers with the ability to take wickets hurts them especially in the test arena which is where other test nations take advantage, there has to be a reason India have not won a test series outside the sub continent in a 16 years

[Joncool]

see how the indian bowling attack is cleaning up the pakistan batting as we speak? dont say they are not good!

[mug punta]

[QUOTE=andyfox]Curently yes the indian attac has become one to be feared in international cricket but u must understand that they have only around recently.The one that Hodge played against was not. The bowling attack of India is good no doubt with the likes of Pathan, Blagi maybe,Khan, Singh and Kumble.

Not trying to destroy you here ANDYFOX, but i don't reckon Hodge gets a fair go.
In that match he scored 264 and faced Zaheer Khan, Nehra , Balaji and Singh so other than Pathan whom from memory was just starting his career then and Kumble who is a quality bowler he faced basically there best attack and there so called superstar spinner Singh and it took 2 days and plenty of runs to get him out.

[andyfox]

Sorry poeple i guess i was incorrect about that. Then what is the reason he is being kept out of the team for their coming series? hows is his performances on the domestic stage? i dont follow much of that but maybe that could be a reason why he had not been chosen, if not then someone tell me because it would be unfair to him, actualy another explanation is that they already ahve enough quality batsmen in the Aussie lineup and he is just waiting for a chance to cement his place on the team.

[Joncool]

facts and stats are soo important in credit, make sure u dont make any mistakes... right now its 325/2, india are just taking control of this pakistan bowling attack, anywya when was the last time Hodge played for Australia?

[Chuck]

he hasn't to my knowledge

[Joncool]

Think about people who have performed well in their one chance in international cricket but they just cannot cement a place in their international teams. Think about people like DD Gupta for india, he was a opening batsmen, wicket keeper... in his first test he scored 104 off 86 i think (i could be wrong) and took everything behind the stumps but because of sehwag they dont need another big hitter to open the tests, and after that he played like crap and therefore u have never heard his name ever again

[andyfox]

DD Gupta played a few test for india, india have enough good batsmen but he was butter fingers behind the stumps, i remember he was letting dollys go through for 4 byes constantly in one match he played for india. they ahve a billion people who wanna play for india so if you dont perform from the start you cant cement a place in the team

[Chuck]

Don't forget Andy Gaunteume (i think i spelt that right) who has the highest test batting average of all time after he scoed 112 and never played another test because of return from injuries by better players

[andyfox]

I guess when it comes down to it at the end of the day it has to be the politics, we dont know whats going on in the selection board rooms, training grounds and dressing rooms but i am quite sure it comes down to that

[Joncool]

surely in india that is what it comes down to because people are always saying how people who dont deserve a place in india's call up are getting it infront of people who really deserve it. That is why you see alot of people who have one series for india and then you never see them again but in other test nations they usually get one home and one away series to perform.

[andyfox]

i guess we are right but india also do give 2nd chances sometimes, look at Yuvraj, he played his first one day series in the ICC Knock Out many years ago where he played excellent, but then he was unheard of and then they called him up again for the tour in England where him and Kaif won the series for them in the Final (WHAT A GAME) and then he has cemented himself in the one day squad... but also when Ganguly was injured Yuvraj came in and he ended up scoreing 100+ but he doesnt play tests

[Chuck]

thats because, unless he opens, then he's hardly a chance of unseating ganguly tendulkar dravid or laxman

[Joncool]

politics before performance in india about cricket, that is unfair to the millions and millions of fans that india have all over the globe and to the quality players who will never get their chance