- Australia is off to shocking start to summer of cricket
- Former Test great is in hot water for alleged vandalism
- Comes as Australia faces heavy defeat in first Test
Australia’s disastrous start to the summer of cricket has sunk even deeper, with a Test great and assistant coach fined for damaging a dressing room.
Australia’s bid to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy could be over after just three days, with Pat Cummins’ men needing to achieve a 27-year first to finally beat India in a Test series.
With two days left in Perth, 522 runs still required and three wickets down, Australia would need to pull off the greatest comeback in cricket history to avoid losing the first Test at Optus Stadium.
Now Cricket Australia is mitigating a new black eye after a former Test great was accused of vandalising a dressing room following a match.
Former Test opener Brad Hodge will be forced to pay for damages to the carpet in the Australian dressing room at Bellerive Oval in Hobart after he allegedly did burnouts on an e-bike after a T20 match.
The part-time assistant was part of the Australian coaching staff for the final game of the Twenty20 series against Pakistan as the Aussies juggled that series and the impending Test series against India.
Former Australian Test opener Brad Hodge allegedly damaged the carpets in the dressing rooms at Bellerive Oval in Hobart
It has been claimed Hodge used an e-bike, like the ones pictured, to do burnouts on the carpet
Sources told The Age that Hodge brought the e-bike into the dressing room after the match and damaged the carpets.
It has been alleged the e-bike was used by another member of the Australian team’s support staff to get to the match.
Cricket Australia did not name Hodge, but said the offending party would have to pay for the damages caused to the Bellerive dressing room.
‘We are aware some damage was caused to the carpet in the Australian dressing room at Bellerive Oval after the Australia-Pakistan T20 and we have apologised to Cricket Tasmania for this,’ CA had said in a statement.
‘The cost of the repairs will be passed on to the person who caused the damage and they will be reminded of their responsibility to take care of the facilities they are privileged to use.’
It comes as Australia stares down the barrel of a heavy Test loss in Perth that could spell doom for their chances of wrestling back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on home soil.
Not since the 1997 Ashes in England has Australia lost the first Test and won the series.
Mark Taylor’s team was belted by nine wickets in the Edgbaston opener, before retaining the Ashes 3-2 in a six-Test series.
Australia is facing a huge loss in the opening Test against India at Optus Stadium in Perth
Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who admitted Sunday’s onslaught by Indian stars Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal was among the toughest days of his career, is already eyeing the second Test in Adelaide.
Australia will begin day four in utter disarray at 3-12, with debutant Nathan McSweeney and out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne already having lost their wicket.
‘I’m probably looking mostly towards next Test and what plans we can do against these (Indian) batters,’ Hazlewood said on Sunday night.
‘It’s obviously a long series. It’s a five-match series.
‘If we can put some overs into their top quicks, I guess that’s probably the couple of goals that we need to tick off (on Monday).
‘If a couple of (our) guys find some form and score 80, 90, or even 100 that’s probably the positives we can take out of it.’
