Chris Rogers on an unusual achievement and the looming finish line to his international career
World records, and winding down
Chris Rogers only made six in the second innings of the third Test at Edgbaston, but it was an historic half dozen nonetheless.
The veteran left-hander would doubtless have been disappointed as he trudged back to the pavilion, lbw Broad, with single figures beside his name for the first time in a Test since the first innings at Adelaide in last summer's series opener against India.
The consolation was a world record.
No player has enjoyed such a lengthy Test career - 45 innings - without a duck as Rogers.
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Rogers, who debuted in 2008 but didn’t play a second Test until 2013, when his international career truly began, has a pair of ones, and a pair of twos, but never has he failed to trouble the scorers.
The 37-year-old took the mark from another Australian, Jimmy Burke, who played as a batsman in the 1950s and enjoyed a 24-Test, 44-innings career without a dreaded zero.
“That’s nice to know, I guess,” Rogers told 6PR’s Sports Today program in Perth. “It’s a bit of a weird one, but I’ll take it.”
Rogers, a veteran of the county circuit with more than 10,000 first-class runs at an average exceeding 50 in the competition, has been a star of this Ashes series, making a Test-best 173 at Lord’s and posting a pair of fifties and a 49 retired hurt to lead the runs-scoring list.
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The left-hander stood out among the Australians in the first innings in Birmingham, when his technique of playing the swinging ball late held him in good stead as the batting order crumbled around him.
“Probably just knowing the conditions over here quite well, having a lot of experience, even against these bowlers, as well,” Rogers replied when asked what he put his success down to.
“It’s been nice. Even the fact that it’s possibly my last series has spurred me on, so I’ve really wanted to go out on a good note.
“I probably don’t have the range of shots a lot of the other guys do so I have to find other ways.
“Maybe it’s suited me over here with the ball moving so much.
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“I don’t think I’ve played in an English summer where the ball has really swung like it has (this summer), and I guess that’s forced me into even more of a defensive mode.
“That’s worked out well for me, and I think the guys are realising that as well – we obviously have to get better as a group because in the last game we definitely didn’t get enough runs.”
Rogers’ own avalanche of runs, and the uncertainty of other positions in Australia’s batting order, have led to a groundswell of support for the opening batsman to continue his career beyond this series, after he originally flagged that it was likely to be his last.
“It’s a conversation I probably need to have after the series with the management and selectors. When I came into this I was probably looking at it as if it was going to be my last (series).
“I turn 38 this month so I’m not getting any younger, and I’m going to have to hang them up at some stage.
“I think the fact that this is an Ashes summer has really given me that flame; I’ve desperately wanted to do well.
“Whether it be the same (against) the likes of Bangladesh … no disrespect to them but they’re probably not the big, iconic series that the Ashes are.
“People have said to me, ‘You’re a long time retired’ but I’ve had a pretty long career, too, so you just have to weigh it up.”
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With Australia having to win the fourth Test to keep their hopes of retaining the Ashes alive, Rogers expects a pitch similar to that dished up in Birmingham, yet there will be a key difference between the two contests given one significant withdrawal.
“We know it’s going to be a similar wicket to what it was last game, but they’re without Jimmy Anderson, who’s a huge difference for them, so they’re playing a little bit of Russian roulette as well,” he added. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to bowl a lot better and we’re going to bat a lot better, so if we do that, I’m confident we’re going to get a result.
“It has been an interesting series. We’ve played a very good game and we’ve had two poor games. Individually, there’s guys who wouldn’t be particularly happy with their own form, so there might be a few changes, but the guys coming in, hopefully they’ll do a good job and we’ll be a lot better next game.”
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