Hardie an allrounder on the rise but injury hits bowling role | Sports

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Make no mistake, Aaron Hardy is a true all-rounder. This can be achieved with a first-class batting average of around 40 – which he made at No. 5 after starting at eight for Western Australia in the recent Sheffield Shield season – and a bowling average of 28.78.

His versatility was exposed to a wider audience during his fledgling international career. Hardy has impressed as a finisher in white-ball cricket, taking three wickets in his most recent appearance on the field in last month’s T20I against Pakistan in Hobart with his blistering sevens.

Hardy, 25, dedicates himself to each skill set, practicing them equally, with the hard work paying off for an up-and-coming player compared to his WA team-mate and former junior rival Cameron Greene. I added

He uses his massive 6-foot-4 frame to devastating effect. His long levers enable him to routinely clear the boundary, while with the ball he can create dangerous bounce and probing at dangerous backs. Hardy has sometimes been used as a new bowler in Shield cricket.

But a nagging quad injury has kept Hardy out of just one Shield match this season and has meant he has made a delayed start to the BBL. He has been out since playing in all six white-ball matches against Pakistan after picking up the injury.

“I’ve probably been dealing with the quad problem for the last year, it’s been up and down,” Hardy told ESPNcricinfo. “Definitely stepped up during the latest Pakistan series. Time to get on top of that.”

Hardy has missed the Scorchers’ opening three games of the season, but is set to return on Boxing Day against defending champions Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium. He will return as a specialist batsman, likely reverting to his traditional No.3 position, hoping to increase his bowling load ahead of the finals.

“You need an extra week or two before you start bowling,” Hardy said. “Realistically, there may be some games where you play as a batsman and then the bowling may come a little later.”

With his body showing signs of strain, Hardy may face a dilemma that has dogged other all-rounders over the years. In an effort to stay on the field and prolong his career, he may need to reduce his bowling workload and prioritize batting.

Given his relatively young age, that decision may not need to be made for some time, although, for now, batting will be his focus as he looks to regain his BBL12 form. where he was the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 460 runs at 41.81. and a strike rate of 141.

“It’s tough to go out there and play as an all-rounder in all three formats,” Hardy said. “It’s just about using the breaks wisely and hopefully I can recover properly and have another crack at it. [being an allrounder].

“I try to use those times to my advantage. Just the nature of bowling often means you can get a lot of fatigue on the bat. I always like opportunities that give me more on the bat. See you for attention.”

Hardy has become a player of considerable interest for the Australian ranks and has already shown his batting flexibility in the 24 white-ball games he has played since making his debut last year.

He has batted in every position from opener to No. 8, but has had the most success so far finishing the innings in a role that is up for grabs amid Tim David’s struggles. can He scored 20 off nine balls in a T20I against England in Cardiff and 28 off 23 against Pakistan in difficult conditions at the SCG. Hardy scored a 26-ball 44 from No. 8 in an ODI against England at Chester-le-Street.

Before stamping himself in the top order with the Scorchers, Hardy started at No. 7 and often found himself batting alongside the apathetic Ashton Turner, who seemed to struggle to get his team out and power over the line. Has skills.

“I think it’s such a special position, that lower-order batsmen…[the] Tim David, Marcus Stoines’ character, said Hardy. “That’s what I did for the Scorchers in my first two years. I was lucky enough to get a bit of experience in that role and mentally learn how to deal with setbacks because you have to go out there and immediately. There will be sixes.

“This experience has stood me in good stead for international games. I like batting at the top of the order as well, but batting at the bottom of the order is very important and if I am good in that role, I will do more for it. Can provide options. I’m playing for any team.”

With recent bias, after performing well on the white-ball tour of Great Britain, Hardy was considered a possible Test replacement for the injured Green, who suffered a stress fracture in his lower back. The latter was ruled out for the entire summer.

He was never seriously in the running, with his quad problems flaring up, but Hardy coped with being in the Test selection spotlight for the first time. fell “There was a bit of speculation but as cricketers we are always quite busy so I took it,” he said. Didn’t spend much time thinking about.

“There are a lot of players around and I think Beau Webster certainly deserves his place in the squad for what he has done over the last couple of years.

“I aspire to put massive runs and wickets on the board in Shield cricket to really demand selection. When I get the chance to play Shield cricket again I will definitely be able to push my case. I will look forward to it.”

While he has started to gain more popularity, Hardy has long been held in high regard in WA and led the way for the Scorchers after Turner suffered a knee injury early last season. took over the reins. Hardy got the nod over Josh Ingles, who has captained Australia in ODI and T20 cricket in recent times.

“I loved it,” Hardy said. “I definitely learned that you take a lot of time off the field with planning things. If I were to do it again, I’d definitely be around it.” Will wrap my head in. I’m looking forward to doing it again, but very happy for AT. [Turner] To get back into character.”

Hardy presided over a generally strong regular season for the Scorchers, but their dreams of a historic hat-trick of titles ended in disappointment after they were stunned by the Adelaide Strikers in the home elimination final. It’s a defeat that has left the BBL’s most successful franchise with a lot of motivation.

“We were pretty honest with ourselves that we didn’t play our best game when it mattered most,” Hardy said. “We’ve learned some lessons and really want to get back to the kind of success we’ve had over the years. I’m itching to be a part of it.”