Sturat Law and Brad Hodge

[slippy888]

Should these guys have played more for Australia, like Australia selectors just seemed to have given up on the back in the day.

 

[tony p]

I don't know who Sturat Law is but I think Stuart Law was pretty good.

 

[h_hurricane]

How Slippy consistently manages to get at least one name wrong in the OP amazes me. Wonder if it is deliberate.

 

[honestbharani]

How Slippy consistently manages to get at least one name wrong in the OP amazes me. Wonder if it is deliberate.

Schticks are everything today man.

 

[sledger]

Haha stew rat

 

[TheJediBrah]

How Slippy consistently manages to get at least one name wrong in the OP amazes me. Wonder if it is deliberate.

Not sure if srs

 

[Red]

Should these guys have played more for Australia, like Australia selectors just seemed to have given up on the back in the day.

Selectors gave up?

Trying to fit in two guys who were behind Ponting, Waugh, Waugh, Martyn, Lehmann, Clarke, Hussey etc etc

You can’t fit 9 blokes into 4 middle order slots

 

[TheJediBrah]

Hodge was better than Law too. Hodge could have easily replaced Damien Martyn during his whole career and probably done better IMO

@Burgey will tell you though, he was kept out by Shane Warne and the 1 Victorian rule

 

[NZTailender]

Selectors gave up?

Trying to fit in two guys who were behind Ponting, Waugh, Waugh, Martyn, Lehmann, Clarke, Hussey etc etc

You can’t fit 9 blokes into 4 middle order slots

You've never met John Bracewell have you

 

[TheJediBrah]

You can’t fit 9 blokes into 4 slots

Tell that to the film I watched this morning

 

[Burgey]

Who would Law have replaced though? He came into the side for his one test in 96 along with Ponting. The default middle order at that time was Boon, Waugh, Waugh, A Nother. Law wasn't as good as Ponting or Martyn (and later Clarke) for that slot.

Can't say I agree re Hodge being better than Martyn. Hodge was very suspect to decent pace. Couldn't see him averaging high 40s over a prolonged period in tests. Should certainly have got more of a go once the post-2007 decline in our batting started though.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Who would Law have replaced though? He came into the side for his one test in 96 along with Ponting. The default middle order at that time was Boon, Waugh, Waugh, A Nother. Law wasn't as good as Ponting or Martyn (and later Clarke) for that slot.

Can't say I agree re Hodge being better than Martyn. Hodge was very suspect to decent pace. Couldn't see him averaging high 40s over a prolonged period in tests. Should certainly have got more of a go once the post-2007 decline in our batting started though.

Law was past it (pretty much retired from the Shield IIRC) by the time Clarke came around. Hodge v Clarke was the big choice on that 2004 tour of India and both at the time, and with hindsight, they made the right choice.

Then Hussey suddenly came along unexpectedly as a middle-order option and pushed Hodge back again. He was always just 1 spot shy of the XI

 

[Red]

Tell that to the film I watched this morning

8 maybe. At a stretch.

 

[Xuhaib]

Don't remember being much impressed by Law when he played odis I doubt he would have been any better then say Greg blewett

 

[mr_mister]

I reckon Love was low key the best of the what if blokes. What did he get like, 5 Sheffield shield final tons? Without checking, I can't imagine anyone has scored more "KO game" runs in the Sheffield shield (so just the final each year I'm including).

Big game player. Had the ingredients to succeed against top sides when it mattered, not sure Hodge did

 

[Xuhaib]

I reckon Love was low key the best of the what if blokes. What did he get like, 5 Sheffield shield final tons? Without checking, I can't imagine anyone has scored more "KO game" runs in the Sheffield shield (so just the final each year I'm including).

Big game player. Had the ingredients to succeed against top sides when it mattered, not sure Hodge did

My best memory of Law is the repair job he did with Bevan at the 96 world cup semin after ambrose and bishop ran riot.

 

[mr_mister]

That was a great knock, but basically the only worthwhile thing he did internationally. Career ODI record is super lacking. Least it came in a high profile game though

 

[TheJediBrah]

I reckon Love was low key the best of the what if blokes. What did he get like, 5 Sheffield shield final tons? Without checking, I can't imagine anyone has scored more "KO game" runs in the Sheffield shield (so just the final each year I'm including).

Big game player. Had the ingredients to succeed against top sides when it mattered, not sure Hodge did

Love was ok, probably about a low 40s average Test batsman long-term. Not quite as good as Hodge, Bevan, Lehmann etc.

His form around 2002-2003 was phenomenal though. If he got a longer run in that time period he could have had a Voges-like career

 

[Mister Wright]

Who would Law have replaced though? He came into the side for his one test in 96 along with Ponting. The default middle order at that time was Boon, Waugh, Waugh, A Nother. Law wasn't as good as Ponting or Martyn (and later Clarke) for that slot.

Can't say I agree re Hodge being better than Martyn. Hodge was very suspect to decent pace. Couldn't see him averaging high 40s over a prolonged period in tests. Should certainly have got more of a go once the post-2007 decline in our batting started though.

He should have been next cab off the rank though. 56* in his only test innings and doesn't get a look in again? Apparently a bit of a prickly character in the dressing room (only heard through hand me down rumours), which may have had something to do with it.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah he was in and about the ODI side at that time too. He played in that Bevan last ball match at the SCG in 96 and the WC final that year.

That final, of course, being famous for being Mark Taylor's only ever decent ODI knock.