Australian T20 star and Guyana Amazon Warriors `newbie’ Brad Hodge, says that apart from personal performances he believes his role in the team is to pass on the knowledge and experience of 20/20 cricket to the younger players in this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (HCPL) T20 tournament.
Stabroek Sports caught up with the 40-year-old T20 nomad who is regarded as one of the most experienced and dangerous guns for hire in the shortest format of the game, yesterday at the Warriors’ practice session at the Guyana National Stadium.
Asked if he feels any pressure being one of the more prolific run-scorers in the tournament and in the team Hodge, who has notched up 6,363 T20 runs at an average of 36.78 with two centuries and 42 fifties, said: “Not really! I think for me the benefit of having me around is to pass on the knowledge to the youngsters and helping them to understand the art of the game pretty quickly.
“I don’t feel it’s a one-man show. We all know that in cricket we need everyone to be firing and you need the 11 players to work as a team moving forward. Having said that, every competition that I go to I try to be the best. Personal performances are very much important and I know if I do perform well it will help the others anyway but my contribution is very much helping the youngsters, definitely in the heat of battle.”
Hodge declared that “T20 breeds West Indies cricket” adding that he was very excited to witness first-hand the “Biggest party in the Caribbean.”
He also informed that he was very keen on being a part of the two-time finalists progress in the competition.
Speaking about his new teammates, some of whom he has played with before, the former Australia ODI and Test batsman said he was indeed upbeat about rekindling old partnerships as well as forging new ones.
“It’s nothing new for a travelling cricketer anymore. It’s really important to be involved in people’s lives and learning new cultures around the world. It’s all about being a nice person, joining in and making sure you’re really involved in every team that you go to. It’s fun playing against top class cricketers. That’s what sports is about, playing against the best,” he declared.
Nicknamed “Dodgeball”, the former Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals middle-order batsman said he was impressed by the local players so far, despite not seeing or spending that much time with them since his arrival on Sunday.
“So far so good. I think Guyana, in the last couple of years, has been successful in this tournament. I don’t see any reason they can’t continue. From what I know the makeup of the side pretty much lends itself to the conditions that we will face. We have some really good spinners and that’s highly important.
“For the youngsters it’s a really good opportunity to shine, stick their hand up and try and expose themselves to the cricketing world that’s what it’s all about because people will be watching so you can’t shy away from that. I think the talent is here, you just have to bring it out.”
Apart from his exploits as one of the geniuses in the T20 arena, Hodge has experienced a brief but successful career as a limited overs and Test batsman, scoring centuries in both formats, including an unbeaten 203 against South Africa, his maiden Test ton.
However, the right-hander has a goliath of a List A and First Class career where he has amassed a total of 26, 211 runs including 80 centuries and 102 half-centuries making his presence in the team as invaluable as any other world-class performer in this season’s tournament.
Hodge admitted that overall, his job for the Warriors is to simply make things easier for his team.
“Nothing changes for me over the last three or four years, it’s just input because a lot of people ask questions it’s important you share that knowledge. My role is to try and make people’s jobs easier and to show them the skill is still there and hopefully they can jump on the back of it.”
Meanwhile, Coach Carl Hooper, during an invited comment said that the sessions were going very well and he especially enjoyed Saturday’s session and was looking forward to the first of two practice matches which begins at 18:00hrs tonight between the Amazon Warriors and a Guyana select XI.
