Brad Hodge

One of the most unluckiest Australian players to play in the last generation, Brad Hodge is arguably one of the greatest domestic players of all time who adapted and thrived to every form of the game. His career unfortunately overlapped with the greatest batsman of the generation for Australia, Ricky Ponting, playing behind his shadows.

Hodge’s introduction into first-class cricket was spectacular; he scored over 991 runs in his first season (1993-94) for Victoria. It was in the early 2000s his prolific form enhanced his claims for a spot in the Australian team.

The void left by Waugh after his retirement was filled by the then youthful Michael Clarke. During Australia’s tour to India in 2004, Hodge and Clarke were competitors for a spot in the playing eleven, and the selectors preferred the youngster. Clarke’s brilliant hundred on his debut brushed aside the dilemma as Australia looked to him for greater things.

He finally got his maiden Test call-up when West Indies travelled to Australia in October 2005. The start to his Test career was fantastic as he scored a fifty on debut and followed it up with a double hundred in his third Test match. The 203 not out was scored against a formidable South African pace attack at Perth. However, that wasn’t enough to cement his spot in the team as the selectors axed him two Tests later.

Hodge was then included in the Aussies side for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup and appearing in a couple of matches, he scored a century against the Netherlands. Next year, Hodge retired from international cricket after an unproductive outing against India.

Even after this phase, Hodge continued to be a force in the domestic circuit scoring a boatload of runs in his final two seasons. Despite scoring a mountain of runs, there came a phase where Hodge accepted his fate and embraced the possibility that his efforts wouldn’t get him bigger honours and hung his boots.

(As of April 2021)