Victorian cricketer Brad Hodge with his wife Meg and children Jessie and Sophie.
Cricket Australia has confirmed that Victoria's champion batsman Brad Hodge is retiring from first-class cricket. He will play just two more Sheffield Shield matches for the ladder-leading Victoria, his final four-day match for the Bushrangers to start on December 18 against New South Wales. Hodge will remain available for one day matches and Twenty20 games.
The prolific 34 year-old right-hander has officially stepped down in order to spend more time with his young family, and his wife, who has health issues, but his frustration at not being selected for the Australian Test team was pivotal to the decision.
Hodge will speak about his decision at a press conference at 11.30am this morning.
"Hopefully this decision will allow me to continue playing good cricket and also spend more time with my young family."
He ends his six-Test career with an average of 55.88, having last played for Australia in a Test in May 2008, contributing two crucial innings, of 67 and 27, on a difficult pitch in Kingston Jamaica.
He had a top Test score of 203 not out, made against South Africa in Perth in December 2005,
Hodge averaged 73.41 and 61.77 in 2003/04 and 2008/09, when Victoria won the Shield title, and he has averaged 102 in the first two games of the Sheffield Shield season.
Record-breaker.
Hodge has scored the most runs for Victoria in first-class cricket, 11,278 at an average of 47.39. Dean Jones is next best with 9622 at 54.05.
Hodge has played 222 first-class matches making 17,012 runs at an average of 48.88 with 51 centuries and 63 ffities.
In one-day matches, he averages 41.80, with 23 centuries and 35 fifties.
In 73 Twenty20 matches Hodge averages 40.10 with one century and 17 fifties.
Hodge has played 25 one day matches for Australia, averaging 31.33, with one century and three fifties.
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