Hogg thrilled with MCG performance

Thrilled after dismissing Sourav Ganguly twice in his 100th Test, Brad Hogg is looking forward to maintaining his good form in Sydney


Brad Hogg relishes the challenge of bowling to Sourav Ganguly, India's best batsman over the last 12 months. Ganguly was Hogg's first Test victim, back in 1996 in Delhi, and he was thrilled to have dismissed him in both innings in Melbourne.

"Ganguly was my first Test and international wicket and it was good to get him out in his 100th Test match," Hogg said. "And to get him out twice was pleasing but at the end of the day we have another Test match, so I have to be on my game to do the same thing."

Hogg nailed Ganguly with a flipper in the first innings, skidding on to the stumps, and induced a close-in catch in the second. Not only did Hogg ably support the fast bowlers, with four wickets in the big win, but also silenced doubters about his ability to bowl to India's much-vaunted batting line-up.

Hogg's googly has troubled batsmen in the one-day format but he pulled out the flipper to surprise India in Melbourne. "I really have not bowled it for the past couple of years," Hogg said of his flipper. "A couple of the boys have told me to put it in my locker. It is just one of those things I thought if there is a moment that I might just try it in a game and it just happened that it worked, so yeah if you have got it you might as well use it as the saying goes."

Hogg said he viewed the MCG opportunity as a chance to fill Stuart MacGill's shoes but went on to suggest that he was ready to take his spot. "But you never know what is going to happen down the track," he said. "I could not play tomorrow and play a year later. I have just come in here and want to lap up every moment as much as possible and you never know what is around the corner."

Was there any area of his game that he was keen to work on for Sydney? "Patience, I think. I'm an impatient bloke myself. It's important I bowl with the same patience that the faster bowlers did. The pitch at Sydney has changed quite a bit. I guess spinners may have to work a lot harder. It was a bit nerve-wracking in the early stages in Melbourne. But my batting in the second innings calmed it down a bit. Nerves are about wanting to do well."