'He was an absolute superstar' - Glenn Maxwell on Brad Hodge's underrated Test career

Maxwell: Hodge Was a Superstar Who Deserved Way More Tests

Glenn Maxwell didn't mince words on the Keeping it Cricket podcast—he calls Brad Hodge an absolute superstar who got robbed of a proper Test career. Hodge played just 6 Test matches for Australia. Six. Yet he went and scored a double ton in that tiny sample.

The guy's First-Class record is a monster: 17,084 runs at 48.81 avg, 51 centuries across 223 matches. That's not "underrated"—that's a career that screams for the hall of fame.

Here's the reality check, and it's all about timing. Hodge's peak collided with the most stacked batting lineup cricket has ever seen—Gilchrist, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Langer, Hayden. In that era, if you weren't averaging 50+, you were out. Maxwell's blunt on the math: "Had he come a generation or two later, he'd have played 120 Tests."

The takeaway? Hodge was a generational talent trapped in the most brutal selection battle in the game. Numbers don't lie—he was elite. He just had to fight world-class legends for every single spot.

Bonus callout: Maxwell also tipped his Belfast Wolves teammate Mark Chapman (NZ) for his ball-striking, saying the big lefthander has seriously impressed him over the last 18 months—despite never being tapped for Test cricket. Worth keeping an eye on.

Source: Crictracker