By CricketCountry Staff
Consistently ignored by the national selectors despite scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket, out-of-favour batsman Brad Hodge has hit out at Australian selectors, as the curtain falls on his domestic career with Victoria.
Published: Jan 25, 2012, 04:53 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 25, 2012, 04:53 PM (IST)
Hodge announced his retirement from one-day cricket on Monday so he could be available for the Bangladesh Premier League in February © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Melbourne: Jan 25, 2012
Consistently ignored by the national selectors despite scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket, out-of-favour batsman Brad Hodge has hit out at Australian selectors one last time, as the curtain falls on his domestic career with Victoria.
Hodge announced his retirement from one-day cricket on Monday so he could be available for the Bangladesh Premier League in February.
“I’m puzzled. Turn my clock back maybe six years ago when I was 31 and told that I couldn’t play one-day cricket for Australia because I wouldn’t make the next World Cup side and that was four years later and I’m 35 and still playing my best cricket,” he said. “Selection has puzzled me for a number of years and it continues to puzzle me and continues to puzzle the public.”
Hodge, who is considered as the most devastating batsman in domestic cricket, played just six Tests for Australia despite averaging 55.88 and also having a double hundred to his name.
Hodge was again left puzzled by the decision to include veterans like Brad Hogg and Brett Lee for the upcoming Twenty20 matches against India.
“I wish the selectors that are involved now were involved back then because I might have had half a sniff.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me anymore but, having said that, it doesn’t bother me one little bit any more either”, he added
“Twenty20 is my life now. That’s the path that I’ve chosen and it gives us a great time for leisure, great time for our families,” he said.
“It’s been a blessing on my family T20 … you only play for a couple of hours and you’re home with the family and kids.
“That’s extremely important to me, having slogged it out for many years trying to play at the highest level – that puts a lot of stress on myself and my family.
“For me, the challenge is to go and continually play at the highest level.”
