A ongoing quad problem flared just as Hardie was putting together a string of promising performances
Tristan Lavalette25-Dec-2024Make no mistake, Aaron Hardie is a genuine allrounder. This can be gleaned by a first-class batting average of almost 40 – having cemented No. 5 for Western Australia in recent Sheffield Shield seasons after starting off at eight – and a bowling average of 28.78.His versatility has been on show to a wider audience during his fledgling international career. Hardie has impressed as a finisher in white-ball cricket, while he claimed a three-wicket haul with his sharp seam bowling in his most recent appearance on the field in last month’s T20I against Pakistan in Hobart.Hardie, 25, has moved up the ranks by dedicating himself to each skillset, practicing them equally, with the hard work paying off for an emerging player favourably compared to his WA team-mate and former junior rival Cameron Green.Related
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He uses his towering 6 foot 4 frame to devastating effect. His long levers make him able to routinely clear the boundary, while with the ball he can produce menacing bounce and probes at a dangerous back of a length. Hardie has sometimes been used as a new ball bowler in Shield cricket.But a nagging quad injury has relegated Hardie to just one Shield match this season and meant he’s had a delayed start to the BBL. He has been on the sidelines since pulling up sore after playing in all six white-ball matches against Pakistan.”I’ve been managing the quad issue for probably the past year or so, it’s had ups and downs,” Hardie told ESPNcricinfo. “Certainly spiked during the latest Pakistan series. Been spending the time off to get on top of it.”Hardie has missed Scorchers’ opening three games of the season, but is set to make his comeback on Boxing Day against defending champions Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium. He will return as a specialist batter, most likely slotting back to his customary No. 3, with the hope of building up his bowling loads ahead of the finals.”You probably need an extra week or two of building up as a bowler before you can actually bowl,” Hardie said. “Realistically, there might be a few games where you play as a batsman and then the bowling can come a bit later.”With his body starting to show signs of strain, Hardie might be faced with a dilemma that has gnawed at many other allrounders over the years. In an effort to stay on the field, and to prolong his career, he might need to ease his bowling workload and prioritise batting.Aaron Hardie will be limited in his role with the ball•Getty ImagesGiven his relatively youthful age, that decision might not need to be made for a while although, right now, batting will be his focus as he tries to recapture the form of BBL12 where he was the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 460 runs at 41.81 and strike-rate of 141.”It’s difficult to keep going out there and play as an allrounder in all three formats,” Hardie 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 these times to my advantage. Just the nature of bowling often means that you can be too fatigued to really knuckle down on batting. I always really love the opportunities I get to have a big focus on batting.”Hardie has become a player of considerable interest for Australia’s hierarchy and he’s already demonstrated his batting flexibility across 24 white-ball games he’s played since debuting last year.He’s batted in every position from opener to No. 8, but has had the most success so far finishing an innings in a role that could be up for grabs amid Tim David’s struggles. He blasted 20 off nine balls in a T20I against England in Cardiff before hitting 28 off 23 against Pakistan in tricky conditions at the SCG. Hardie also made a 26-ball 44 from No. 8 against England in an ODI at Chester-le-Street.
I aspire to put a massive amount of runs and wickets on the board in Shield cricket to really demand selection. When I get a chance to play Shield cricket again, I’m certainly looking forward to being able to push my caseAaron Hardie on being discussed as a Test allrounder
Before stamping himself in the top-order with Scorchers, Hardie started off at No. 7 and often found himself batting with the nerveless Ashton Turner, who has seemingly mastered getting his side out of trouble and powering them over the line.”I think it’s such a specialised position, that lower-order batsman…[the] Tim David, Marcus Stoinis role,” Hardie said. “It’s something I did for the Scorchers in my first couple of years. Fortunate enough to get a bit of experience in that role and learn mentally how to deal with the failures because you’ve got to go out there and hit balls for six straight away.”That experience has put me in good stead for the international games. I love batting at the top of the order as well, but batting down the order is so important and if I’m good in that role then I can provide more options for any team I’m playing for.”With the help of recency bias, having performed well on the white-ball UK tour, Hardie was touted as a possible Test replacement for the injured Green, who was ruled out for the entire summer after suffering a stress fracture in his lower back.He was never seriously in the running, with his quad issues flaring, but Hardie for the first time had to deal with being in the Test selection spotlight. “There was a little bit of speculation, but we’re always pretty busy as cricketers so I didn’t spend too much time thinking about it,” he said.Aaron Hardie can hold his own at the top of the order•Getty Images”There are so many players around and I think Beau Webster has certainly deserved his spot in the squad after what he’s done the past couple of years.”I aspire to put a massive amount of runs and wickets on the board in Shield cricket to really demand selection. When I get a chance to play Shield cricket again, I’m certainly looking forward to being able to push my case.”While he’s started to gain more widespread prominence, Hardie has long been held in extremely high regard in WA and early last season he took over the leadership reins for Scorchers after Turner succumbed to a knee injury. Hardie got the nod over Josh Inglis, who in recent times has captained Australia in ODI and T20I cricket.”I loved it. The tactical side of things, you certainly feel like you’re pulling the strings and to also build those relationships with the other guys was something I enjoyed,” Hardie said. I certainly learned that it takes a lot of your time off-field, with the planning side of things. If I do it again, I’ll certainly wrap my head around that a bit better. I’m looking forward to doing it again, but pretty happy for AT [Turner] to be back in the role.”Hardie presided over a typically strong regular season for Scorchers, but their dreams of a historic hat-trick of titles ended in disappointment after being stunned by Adelaide Strikers in a home elimination final. It’s a defeat that has left the BBL’s most successful franchise with plenty of motivation.”We were pretty honest with ourselves that we didn’t play our best when it mattered the most,” Hardie said. “We’ve learned some lessons and really want to get back to the type of success we’ve had over the years. I’m itching to be part of it.”