Brad Hodge

Arguably the most unluckiest Australian player of the last two decades, Brad Hodge would have been a legend in most other countries. Unfortunately, being an Australian hurt his chances as his peak days as a batsman coincided with the country's golden era of domination with extreme competition for spots. Often reduced to the fringe, Hodge had very little scope to showcase his talent in international cricket and though he did show glimpses of it during his brief career, such was the competition around him that a bad series was all it took for him to be out of the side. Hodge was a legend in domestic cricket though and also in the T20 format where he churned out runs for fun. In short, he dominated everywhere except when in Australian colors and that wasn't entirely his fault either.

Hodge's path to a national call up was similar to Michael Hussey. Both had to wait for an eternity before getting the nod but unlike the southpaw who immediately grabbed his chances and shot to fame, Hodge couldn't get going. Luck was an important thing too that he lacked, for the timing of his call ups would often leave him in the nothing-to-gain situation that only puts pressure on the fringe players. Despite all this, he had his moments. In the 2005 tour of South Africa, he smashed a double ton in the Test series which suggested that he was finally cementing his spot. Similarly in the 2006-07 season, he got a few opportunities when Ricky Ponting opted to rest and made it count, thereby earning a place in the World Cup squad next year. He also had a century to show in the showpiece event but mostly remained on the bench. Hodge's Test form also fizzed off after the initial promise.

The 2008 Test tour of West Indies was Hodge's last red-ball assignment for Australia. He never played ODIs again either after a dismal tour to India in 2007. But his prowess in the shortest format meant that he got the odd opportunities over the years, the last one being in the 2014 World T20. His international career never really took off fully but Hodge had a fantastic time in the county circuit, firstly with Durham before then leading Leicestershire to glory and ultimately, joining Lancashire. His greatness in domestic cricket and versatility in the T20 format made him a compelling name to have in the Franchise leagues across the globe. Apart from being a big name in the BBL, Hodge also took part in the IPL albeit with moderate success.

Hodge quit First-class cricket in 2009 and was focussing on limited-overs cricket, T20s in particular. After close to another decade more, he decided to quit from all forms of the game in early 2018 due to health issues. The age was also a factor for him in making the call and he felt that it was time for him to take mentoring/coaching roles. Having done a similar role for the Gujarat Lions, Hodge joined Kings XI Punjab as their chief coach. A terrific player with over a whooping 33,000 runs in domestic cricket across formats in about 25 years, it's unfortunate that Hodge couldn't carve a niche for himself in international cricket. A smooth timer of the ball, Hodge's strengths were the back foot punch through cover and the inside out lofted stroke, both of which he played with elan even under pressure. He was also a strong cutter/puller of the ball like most Australians are.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan