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Brad Hogg gets younger every year

Brad Hogg of the Renegades. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Expert
22nd December, 2016
25

Brad Hogg will be 46 in February, but there is no more passionate, dedicated, nor infectious cricketer going around in the Big Bash League.

He gets younger every year, but life hasn’t always been rosy for George Bradley Hogg.

In a three-year period from 2008 to 2011, Hogg admits he even gave himself the shits that he couldn’t cope with everyday life, cricket was everything.

Hogg details his feelings in his autobiography “The Wrong ‘Un”, but the bubbly Hogg is back, and cricket’s the beneficiary.

How Aaron Finch managed to salt Hogg away from his beloved WACA was one thing, but the left arm spinner’s debut for the Melbourne Renegades at Etihad last night was spectacular.

He claimed the wickets of Sydney Thunder’s Ryan Gibson (39) and Ben Rohrer (30) in the one over, finishing with 2-22 off his four.

Hogg’s combination with West Indian spinner Sunil Narine (2-32 off four) will prove to be an integral part of the Renegades’ BBL campaign.

Skipper Finch showed the way with the bat after being sent in, carving a man-of-the-match 63 off just 33 deliveries that included three boundaries, and four sixes.

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Finch really needed to tee off again after a poor run of 1, 53, 2, 19, 0, 19, and 3 in ODIs. He’s an important part of Australia’s limited-over formats, opening the batting with David Warner.

It’s a vastly different story with the Sydney Thunder, the reigning BBL champions, who have yet to win a game in two starts.

They are missing their skipper Shane Watson with a calf injury, and Usman Khawaja, but they do have Pat Cummins.

Last night Cummins was constantly around the 150 click mark in taking 1-26 off his four, then showed his batting prowess clubbing 36 off 23 with no boundaries, but four huge sixes off Narine twice, Hogg, and Dwayne Bravo.

Tonight will be a BBL double-header with the Sydney Sixers taking on the Hobart Hurricanes at the SCG – will England paceman Stuart Broad make his debut for the Hurricanes?

The Perth Scorchers will follow against the Adelaide Strikers at the WACA, leading into the second Test against Pakistan at the MCG on Boxing Day.

That poses the big question – who will get the selector’s ultimate Christmas present – Nic Maddinson, Chadd Sayers, or Hilton Cartwright?

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