Hogg's Shield comeback aborted for second time

Evergreen spin bowler Brad Hogg toyed with the prospect of making a return to the Bupa Sheffield Shield a fortnight ago, and he's revealed he also planned to make a first-class comeback back in 2011.

Two weeks ago, the 44-year-old decided against making a Shield comeback after the idea was floated by Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors coach Justin Langer to play in the competition for the first time since January 2008.

Quick Single: Hogg turns down Sheffield Shield return

The left-arm orthodox bowler says the rigours of four-day cricket would have been too great on his body, despite a desire to return to the long form of the game.

And he says it wasn't the first time he's considered extending his comeback in Twenty20 cricket to other forms of the game.

“I kind of wanted to do that (return to first-class cricket) over the last three or four years,” Hogg told cricket.com.au.

“That was one of my goals, but if I was going to play a Shield game now I would have had to play a couple of second XI matches in four day cricket just to make sure I can get through it and see how I perform.

“At the end of the day I wasn’t ready to play the game. I don’t think I would have got through the four days at a high level – I would have dropped off.

“Especially if we had to bowl in the first innings, got bowled out and then I would have to bowl fairly early in the second innings, that would have been tough.

“It was a great honour to be able to get asked to go back and play Shield cricket but we’ve been trying to develop young spinners around Australia and they’ve been playing first-class cricket for the last four or five years.

“And there’s only one way they’re going to learn and that’s playing out in the middle.

“As we’ve seen Agar got five wickets (against South Australia at Glenelg), so it would have been a waste of time for me to play anyway!”

And while Hogg knocked back Langer’s request, it was an offer from Australia’s previous head coach that reintroduced Hogg to Australian domestic cricket and re-ignited his ambition to return to Shield cricket.

“When Mickey Arthur asked me to come back and play T20 cricket (in 2011) I did say to him 'is the one-day format and the Shield format available as well?'. He said no at that stage, and once he said no we (Western Australian cricket) were heading down the youth side, I gave that up very quickly,” added Hogg.

Since then Hogg has been a star for Perth Scorchers, missing only a handful of games while topping the wicket-takers tally for the dual KFC T20 Big Bash League champions.

However, the Warriors’ spin stocks in four-day cricket look to be in good hands with young gun Ashton Agar and left-arm orthodox bowler Michael Beer.

Agar claimed 10 wickets in Western Australia’s thrilling draw against the West End Redbacks in Adelaide last week – his first 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

The 21-year-old burst on to the international scene in 2013 when he was a shock selection for the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, going on to score 98 in one of the most memorable debuts in history.

But Hogg says Agar’s opportunity came at the expense of teammate Beer, and wants to see the 30-year-old back playing state cricket.

“I am very impressed with Ashton Agar,” said Hogg.

“You’ve got Michael Beer over there (in WA) as well.

“Look at the two contrasting careers. Ashton Agar got his opportunity because Beery did his shoulder and wasn’t able to tour with Australia and he was going to be the second spinner on that particular trip (Australia A’s tour of the British Isles in 2013).

“It provided an opportunity for Ashton Agar and all of a sudden Ashton Agar has all the highlights reel and Michael Beer is in a situation where he’s hoping to play Shield cricket at the moment.

“To have a spinner of that class not playing Shield cricket is disappointing for first-class cricket in Australia.

“We’ve seen what he can do at T20 level. He’s fantastic competitor, great bowler, and I think he should be playing state cricket at the moment.”