Brad Hodge: Hopeful of being competitive and strong in T20 circuit
Hodge: Hopeful of being competitive and strong in T20 circuit
Brad Hodge who is playing for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has so far played seventeen T20 cricket and the match he will be playing on Friday will be his 18th match. Hodge was recently coaching Indian Premier League (IPL) new franchise Gujarat Lions (GL) who reached the playoffs stage but were unfortunate to reach the final. But Australia’s hard-hitter is happy to go past these totals and playing his 18th game tonight at CPL. Hodge has played earlier for various T20 matches that included IPL as well for Rajasthan Royals. Having been held to six Test and 25 ODIs while playing for Australia during the 1990 to 2000, but the shortest format has created mark for himself in this format. But still he hopes is strong and competitive enough in T20 circuit. ALSO READ: Brad Hodge’s retirement – The tale of modern mercenary
Hodge spoke to foxsports.com.au. and said “I think that’s the fascination about it (Twenty20 cricket). I was talking to my wife about it the other day; the amazingness of the job I have where you just go in to a side and you’ve got no choice but to adapt to a different lifestyle and a different culture. I’m really positive on the things which I’ve been able to contribute to cricket. I’m really happy with the success that I’ve had and what I’ve been able to give teams and other people around the world.”
He recollected his time when he started off playing for Victoria in T20 cricket in 1993 al ost a decade before the first ever professional T20 league in England. Hodge further added, “I didn’t think it was possible 22 years ago. In fact I didn’t even get paid to play 22 years ago. Isn’t 22 years a turnaround, with the amount of money that’s on offer on the cricketing circles these days?” On speaking on his experience as coaching GL that he truly enjoyed, he said “It was nice to be able to work with the younger kids who may or may not be getting a game, but you’ll be able to influence their game a little bit more. That was really, really cool.”
He played for BBL as well as the assistant coach for Adelaide Strikers where he enjoyed working and playing with Travis Head, Alex Ross and Jake Lehmann. He is currently enjoying the coaching phase and looks to get ahead with it in the future. When asked would he want to do coaching for his CPL this year, he was rather amazed and disagreed to the same, “Absolutely none, mate. Absolutely zero. I’m actually looking forward to getting to go to the Caribbean and just focusing on playing again and having some fun. That (coaching in the IPL) was really hard core actually… the Indian Premier League, as a player was always really taxing, the travel and the mental aptitude that you needed to be successful. I think it was even more hard core as a coach. Just continually trying to look after your 25 players, and also your staff and also the management was…it was a big step.” ALSO READ: Brad Hodge: Losing wickets in quick succession, overstepping in crunch situations hurt Gujarat Lions
Hodge, father of two, says that coaching can take a toll sometimes after his sting with BBL, Pakistan Super League and Masters Cricket League and now the recent one being IPL since last year’s CPL Guyana Amazon Warriors, “It’s quite difficult when you’ve got a wife and two kids and you have to leave them (at home). You do have a lot of ups and downs, there’s a lot adrenaline in your body in these tournaments, and you do come off and unfortunately have these lows throughout the year. It’s such a dramatic thing, where you come back to a normal life and you’ve got to worry about the kids and the house and all that stuff. When you’re away, the only choice is whether you’re having your eggs scrambled or you’re having them sunny side up, so those sorts of things in reality can hit you quite hard. It’s just a matter of picking yourself up again and working it out.”
When Hodge was asked about what keeps him fit and keep going after this age, he added, “I have no idea, if you can answer that question for me that would be good. As soon as I jump on these planes, I really switch on and really get the excitement of the tournament. I always want to be the best player I can be, and for me that means I want to be the best player in the tournament, and sometimes that’s not possible any more, but I’m pretty much always in the top ten and I try and strive for that all the time. It’s just one of those questions, like you mentioned how much fire is left burning? What’s on the other side of the fence? What’s out there in the world? Twenty-two years being involved in the game’s a long time, so what’s out there? It’s time to explore and whether or not that gets in the way of playing, we’ll have to wait and see. I’m pretty sure that I can still be competitive and strong for another few years, whether I do or not, I’m not sure.”