Melbourne: Former Australia fast bowler Rodney Hogg has accused skipper Steve Smith of favouritism in team selection, and also ripped apart the selectors for the run of losses in the ongoing ODI series against India. Australia trail the hosts 0-3 in the five-match series. “They’re picking their mates. Smith shouldn’t be a selector. (Ashton) Agar’s been pushed through and Cartwright’sstill there.
We saw (Nic) Maddinson get selected (he’s) a mate, he’s one of Steve Smith’s mates. You can’t pick bloody mates,” Hogg was quoted as saying on ‘SEN’s The Run Home’. “We’ve got to get fair dinkum. We’re really off the ball a bit here … I think the captain’s getting his own way.” Hogg, who was menacingly fast in his heydays, played international cricket in the late seventies and early eighties. He said a serious review of Australia’sselection panel and their decision-making process was needed if the Aussies are to improve.
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“All the way down, there’s got to be question marks. All the way across Cricket Australia,” he said. Hogg also questioned Cricket Australia’s decision to call upon Steve O’Keefe to partner Nathan Lyon for the two-matchTest series against Bangladesh. Hogg felt Jon Holland should have been picked ahead of O’Keefe. “Holland has proven he can bowl people out, left-arm orthodox is a really hard gig. He’s proven it and we aren’t seeing him,” said Hogg.
