BJ Hodge of Australia

Full Name:

Bradley John Hodge

DoB:

Sunday, December 29, 1974

Birthplace:

Sandringham, VIC

Teams:

Victoria

Test Debut:

not yet capped

ODI Debut:

not yet capped

Bats:

RH

Bowls:

Off-break

Player Record:

link to stats

Brad Hodge is another Australian batsman who has not yet broken into the Test side, but has shown his high quality by pulverising English county attacks.

Hodge enjoyed a successful spell with Durham, broke the record score for a Leicestershire batsman in 2003 with 302* against Nottinghamshire, and has been making plenty of runs for Lancashire this season.

A diminutive man, he is a very correct, classical player who scores runs attractively all around the wicket and boasts a first-class average of nearly 47.

Though not the most dominant Australian player, he is averaging over 50 in 20 games of Twenty20, so he can play an aggressive game when called upon.

After years of successful seasons in state cricket he finally earned his first Cricket Australia contract in 2004, and came close to selection for the 1st Test against India, only to be pipped by the new kid on the block Michael Clarke.

Now 30, he is likely to remain on the sidelines unless the Australian middle-order suffers injuries or drastic loss of form.

Brad Hodge is a right-hand batsman with a very sound technique who has been a prolific player in Australia for a long time.

Brad is an easygoing sort of a guy who doesn't create too many waves in a team set-up and he's also a very nice player to watch because he has all the shots. He drives beautifully down the ground and through the covers, and plays the cross-bat shorts just as well.

Unfortunately for him he's already in his thirties and is unlikely to get a Test on this tour unless there are a few injuries or players drastically out of form.

He's played a lot of first-class cricket with Victoria and also in England, so he should be familiar with conditions and ready to go if given a chance.