Hogg feels Australia have shaken off their rust

Birmingham: Brad Hogg has insisted Australia’s remaining one-day games against England could have a key bearing on the Ashes Test series that starts from July.

England got off to a flyer in the triangular series with a 10-wicket win against Bangladesh followed by a three-wicket success over Australia.

By contrast, the world champions suffered the embarrassment of a five-wicket defeat against Bangladesh.

However, normal services resumed with a 57-run win over England at Durham on Thursday while Saturday saw Bangladesh beaten by 10 wickets at Old Trafford.

Left-arm wrist spinner Hogg, who took three for 29 in Manchester, will be back on familiar territory when England and Australia, now in the triangular final, meet in Tuesday’s ‘dead’ match at Edgbaston.

For many Australians their most recent memory of the ground is as the venue where England ended a run of 14 successive one-day defeats against their oldest opponents in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in September.

But last season Hogg, 34, spent the English season with Edgbaston-based Warwickshire, helping The Bears win the County Championship.

“Edgbaston has a good international reputation and a place where England enjoy playing, but I will have to see if I can turn that around,” Hogg said.

“From my own experience at Edgbaston, it will be pretty easy to turn around!”, added the former postman who scored over 650 runs and chipped in with 14 wickets for Warwickshire last season.

Hogg is not a member of the Test squad where the low-bowling spots have gone to Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.

But he believes he and other one-day specialists such as Andrew Symonds can still play their part in helping Australia win a ninth successive Ashes series.

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s match, Hogg said: “I think it is going to be a crucial game and will set the tone for the final of the one-day series (at Lord’s on July 2). Even more importantly, it will have a bearing on the Ashes.

“Only being in the one-day side it is my job to make sure we stay on top of England and make it easier for the Test boys to come in and keep up the pressure on the opposition.

“Obviously some of the early results we had were embarrassing but you have to take these sort of things on the chin and bounce back. These are always going to happen.

“We were a little rusty at the start after a two to three months lay-off but we are now getting back to the heights where we were six months ago. “We have rectified the situation, although there is still some way to go before we are really happy.”

Hogg was philosophical about his Test chances.

“It is every kid’s dream to play Tests, particularly against England. But Warne and MacGill are ahead of me. They are world-class players.

“Obviously, I am happy to be in the one-day team and can pop up now and again and get a Test outing when either are injured.

“Naturally, I would like another crack but I have to bide my time, keep doing what I am doing,” said the Western Australian.

Hogg declined to comment on Warne’s separation from his wife but said he did not expect it to affect his teammate’s performance.

(AFP)