BRAD HODGE RETIRES

[The Cadet]

After watching cricket for about 40 years Ive come to this conclusion
Brad Hodge is prob the unluckiest cricketer in that time

David Hookes, Darren Lehmann, Jamie Siddons, Stuart Law etc. etc. all say hello.

Interesting how you mention them....especially Hookes and Law...and then castigate Hodge for having some of the same foibles which saw their careers abbreviated.

And Siddions who sued CA becuase he threw too many balls when he was ass coach.

[CoverKing]

After watching cricket for about 40 years Ive come to this conclusion
Brad Hodge is prob the unluckiest cricketer in that time

David Hookes, Darren Lehmann, Jamie Siddons, Stuart Law etc. etc. all say hello.

Interesting how you mention them....especially Hookes and Law...and then castigate Hodge for having some of the same foibles which saw their careers abbreviated.

And Siddions who sued CA becuase he threw too many balls when he was ass coach.

And wat does siddions throwing too many balls have to do with him not being selected for Australia as a player??

[NFC]

What the heck???
Why?????

[rod_rooster]

After watching cricket for about 40 years Ive come to this conclusion
Brad Hodge is prob the unluckiest cricketer in that time

David Hookes, Darren Lehmann, Jamie Siddons, Stuart Law etc. etc. all say hello.

Interesting how you mention them....especially Hookes and Law...and then castigate Hodge for having some of the same foibles which saw their careers abbreviated.

I don't disagree for a second that those blokes also suffered by their own doing to a degree i was just pointing out that if you consider Hodge as being unlucky then the names i mentioned must surely be conssidered at least as unlucky and IMHO all actually more unlucky. Even Dean Jones to an extent (although he did have a much longer shot than any of the above) could be considered unlucky not to have played a lot more. Seems to be a common theme that they all just couldn't keep their mouths shut. Who will be the next big mouth to curtail his own career by not knowing when to keep his mouth shut?

[Dogwatcher]

Who will be the next big mouth to curtail his own career by not knowing when to keep his mouth shut?

Mal?

[mal]

Who will be the next big mouth to curtail his own career by not knowing when to keep his mouth shut?

Mal?

Wont be me I retired 3 years ago

[Lightning McQueen]

After watching cricket for about 40 years Ive come to this conclusion
Brad Hodge is prob the unluckiest cricketer in that time

David Hookes, Darren Lehmann, Jamie Siddons, Stuart Law etc. etc. all say hello.

He would be number one on my list.

[mal]

After watching cricket for about 40 years Ive come to this conclusion
Brad Hodge is prob the unluckiest cricketer in that time

David Hookes, Darren Lehmann, Jamie Siddons, Stuart Law etc. etc. all say hello.

Sorry to nitpick Rooster but I will compare Cuz Hodgey with your list

SIDDONS
0 TESTS
IST CLASS 11387 [44.91]
Was very unlucky never to play a test, perhaps the best batsman never to play a test in Australian history ?
But Hodge was unluckier
HODGE
6 TESTS 503 [55.88]
1ST CLASS 17012 [48-88]
Hodge is unluckier becoz he did get a gig played exceptionally well got dropped and averaged 55 !

LAW
1 TEST 54 NOT OUT
1ST CLASS 27070[50.52]
Unlucky bugger he would have better off getting out and having a test average similar to Hodge!
But Hodgey unluckier becoz of the same reasons vrs Siddons

BOOF
TESTS 1798 [44-95]
FIRST CLASS 25795[57-83]
Should have played more tests , got picked late in his career in his 3os, but played 21 more games than Hodgey so still had more of an an opportunity

HOOKES
TEST 1306 [34-36]
FIRST CLASS 12671 [43-99]
A wise man once told me averages are not the be all and end all, with Hookesy its true
He played in an era when bowlers were at the most lethalist that I can recall
Did play a bit of circus cricket that interupted his career
Unlucky ? Dunno he did have 23 Tests

To summise Brad Hodge is very unlucky, he did get an opportunity averaged 55 in a handful of innings and was vanquished
Yes he has not helped his cause with his press comments , but I imagine I would be bitter and be tempted to mouth off as well iif it was me

[Lightning McQueen]

Siddons missed out when we were lacking consistent middle-order batsman.
Hodge missed out because we were pretty much unbeatable while he was doing well, he spoke out too much aswell, do we know what happens behind closed doors though.
Lehmann missed out because he was a South Aussie and I feel as though there was need for him at the time, he did waste his early limited opportunities though.
Hookes missed out because he said too much.
Law missed out as there was always better options around.

[mal]

LM
Whats worse
Players like LAW + SIDDONS who never got a chance to imprees
Players who got 20+ Tests and had opportunities
Players who get picked for 6 matches average 50+ and do not get the opportunity again

Hodgey is the unluckiest
If he got 20+ tests and still had a 55 average he could have forged a glorious Test career that he has been deprived off

No wonder he is bitter
As would most players would be, the only diff is Brad let the press and the selectors know about it

[Booney]

Even at my level of cricket I had the onions to ask at times why I wasn't being selected to play a higher grade, are the Aussie selectors so fickle that someone questioning them strikes that players name from their thinking?

Hang on, forget I asked that question....

[Ron Burgundy]

Brad Who???

[Hondo]

Just on the late, great David Hookes. When asked once about his short test career, I remember him saying something like he "simply wasn't good enough".

His best series was 82-83 Ashes and then it seems he did open his mouth around the time of the 1983 World Cup and lost his test spot to Graeme Yallop the following summer. I recall never having confidence when watching him at test level. Most innings you were waiting for him to get out because he never played with the same ease and confidence he showed at State level. So, yes, his mouth probably cost him some games however if he was genuinely good enough the selectors would have ignored what he said. Shane Warne wasn't one to hold back on his opinions yet he was never dropped.

I rate Siddons and Lehmann as the unluckiest. Both played in an era when we had an abundance of middle order batsman to choose from however there was a stage where the selectors had him behind Langer, Martyn, Bevan and Blewett all 4 of whom had repeated opportunities while Boof was not considered.

IIRC Siddons became very ill on the Australian tour of Pakistan in 1988 and it impacted his form right when he was on the cusp of selection. By the time he was back firing Mark Waugh had come into the side.

I also think Dean Jones was unlucky to be dropped however his test form had dipped somewhat leading up to that. Again, if you are going to open your mouth I guess the lesson is to make sure you are walking the talk a la Warney.

I think Hodge has been unlucky to not displace Michael Hussey in recent times however that's a whole other issue not for this thread.

[mal]

The one thing that irks me
He is playing his last SS game vrs Newrebwale at Newcastle Oval Dec 18
I think he is letting down his state and his team-mates in the quest for back to back SS wins

[Lightning McQueen]

Mal, they all have their own individual cases. WE don't know what went on behind closed doors. IIRC Jones and Hookes spoke public about players infidelity whilst they were on tour.
I'm of the opinion that Siddons was the unluckiest as I think there was a place for him at the time he was peaking, the other players were peaking when we were at our strongest.
Hondo, yes Warney was outspoken, he would've been one of the players that Jones and Hookes were blabbing about though LOL.

[mal]

Mal, they all have their own individual cases. WE don't know what went on behind closed doors. IIRC Jones and Hookes spoke public about players infidelity whilst they were on tour.
I'm of the opinion that Siddons was the unluckiest as I think there was a place for him at the time he was peaking, the other players were peaking when we were at our strongest.
Hondo, yes Warney was outspoken, he would've been one of the players that Jones and Hookes were blabbing about though LOL.

What would be unluckier
SIDDONS never playing
SIDDONS playing 6 games at a 50+ average then never playing again
?

[rod_rooster]

Mal, they all have their own individual cases. WE don't know what went on behind closed doors. IIRC Jones and Hookes spoke public about players infidelity whilst they were on tour.
I'm of the opinion that Siddons was the unluckiest as I think there was a place for him at the time he was peaking, the other players were peaking when we were at our strongest.
Hondo, yes Warney was outspoken, he would've been one of the players that Jones and Hookes were blabbing about though LOL.

What would be unluckier
SIDDONS never playing
SIDDONS playing 6 games at a 50+ average then never playing again
?

Siddons never playing. Hodge at least got a chance.

You keep harping on about his average of 55 but in reality he played only one innings of note. In 12 innings apart from his 203* he made just 303 runs at an average of 30.3. See Mal, you can manipulate stats to make a case for anything if you like

[Lightning McQueen]

Mal, they all have their own individual cases. WE don't know what went on behind closed doors. IIRC Jones and Hookes spoke public about players infidelity whilst they were on tour.
I'm of the opinion that Siddons was the unluckiest as I think there was a place for him at the time he was peaking, the other players were peaking when we were at our strongest.
Hondo, yes Warney was outspoken, he would've been one of the players that Jones and Hookes were blabbing about though LOL.

What would be unluckier
SIDDONS never playing
SIDDONS playing 6 games at a 50+ average then never playing again
?

Siddons never playing. Hodge at least got a chance.

You keep harping on about his average of 55 but in reality he played only one innings of note. In 12 innings apart from his 203* he made just 303 runs at an average of 30.3. See Mal, you can manipulate stats to make a case for anything if you like

That 203* cost us a win aswell. I'm with RR, at least he has a baggy green in his cricket bag.

[mal]

Rodney yes stats can lie
Take away a couple of his failures he would have average about 70+

[mal]

Mal, they all have their own individual cases. WE don't know what went on behind closed doors. IIRC Jones and Hookes spoke public about players infidelity whilst they were on tour.
I'm of the opinion that Siddons was the unluckiest as I think there was a place for him at the time he was peaking, the other players were peaking when we were at our strongest.
Hondo, yes Warney was outspoken, he would've been one of the players that Jones and Hookes were blabbing about though LOL.

What would be unluckier
SIDDONS never playing
SIDDONS playing 6 games at a 50+ average then never playing again
?

Siddons never playing. Hodge at least got a chance.

You keep harping on about his average of 55 but in reality he played only one innings of note. In 12 innings apart from his 203* he made just 303 runs at an average of 30.3. See Mal, you can manipulate stats to make a case for anything if you like

That 203* cost us a win aswell. I'm with RR, at least he has a baggy green in his cricket bag.

And not the approx. 120 overs AU bowled without dismissing SA ?