Published: Mar 12, 2014, 06:07 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 12, 2014, 06:15 PM (IST)
Mar 12, 2014
With one bad series ending the careers of captains, players and coaches in recent times, patience is a virtue that is soon fading away in the world of cricket. Brad Hogg’s career has been that of an endless waiting game to prove his credentials at the highest level; being down in the pecking order after spin legend Shane Warne or Stuart McGill for nearly a decade.
After being written off early in his career, Hogg came back to win the ICC World Cup 2003 for Australia and be a vital cog in the great Australian team of the mid-2000’s.
At 43, the old warhorse still has the stomach and talent for the big occasion as witnessed in the recently concluded Big Bash 2014, in which his chinaman bamboozled many a batsmen on his way to clinching the BBL with his franchise, Perth Scorchers.
Hogg’s performances have earned him yet another call-up with the Australian team, albeit in the T20 (T20I) circuit. He was selected in the ongoing T20I’s against South Africa and the upcoming ICC World T20 2014 in Bangladesh.
Feeling a bit sore, Hogg ruled himself out of the second T20 clash against the Proteas in Durban, he said, “It’s a weird one. I can do everything except bowl. Every time I plant that front leg down, I can’t get over there. But I’m glad it’s happened now and not over in Bangladesh”, read a Sydney Morning Herald report.
If Hogg steps on the pitch wearing Australian colours, he will go down as the oldest man to play the shortest format of the game, which the southpaw is gung-ho about, he said “But I’m glad it’s happened now and not over in Bangladesh. If it was a big game – you’d take the medications and definitely would (play). But I think we’re taking a conservative approach at the moment so I’m right for the World Cup.”
Hogg suffered the injury during a training session while bowling with Warne, who had joined the team in the final Test match at Cape Town as a spinning consultant. Talking about his experience with the spin legend, Hogg beamed “I was in awe of the king. I wanted to make the most of the opportunity and I went [bowled] for an hour and a half, which was probably too long.”
Being treated by team doctor Peter Brunker, Hogg is being nursed back to shape with dry-needling techniques, which worked wonders on Shane Watson on his road to recovery, speaking on his rehabilitation work, Hogg said,”Watto [Watson] gets it a lot. He handles it well. I’d never seen it until now. I’ve had it twice and I’m not looking forward to my third go. It hurts.”
Hogg was also diagnosed with a bout of diarrhoea which the left-brushed off as he has to obstacles, especially in the latter years of his career. After yet another shot at glory, It won’t come as a surprise if Hogg makes yet another surge, just to poke fun and continue to defy logic at the ‘young man’s game’.
