Hodge lashes out at Aussie selectors for bias

Sydney: Victorian batsman Brad Hodge, who was not picked for either the Ashes series or in the One-day squad, took out his frustration by lashing out at the Australian cricket system, alleging bias towards New South Wales players.

Hodge said in over a decade he was selected hardly six times despite amassing tons of runs and this was only because of the bias.

Hodge also flayed the Cricket Australia (CA) policy of allowing wives and girlfriends on tours, saying it has a divisive effect and isolates players who have not had partners.

He said many other Victorian players also lost out because of Sydney-centric bias and many players from other states also suspected it.

Hodge also said that the bias could be felt in the Australian dressing room, too.

"I guess every time that I was on tour I was a threat to someone else from a different state," Hodge was reported Thursday as telling Melbourne's sports radio SEN.

"I was looking to take someone else's spot. So they had allies and friends in that particular squad."

Hodge, who might fall foul with CA over his comments, said at his age -- over 30 -- he is not in calculations for a place in the national team.

He recalled the time he broke into the Australian side against the West Indies in 2005, scoring a double century later that season against South Africa in Hobart, to reinforce his argument.

"For example in 2005, Simon Katich was struggling. So the chances were, if I was to bat, I was going to take his spot in the middle order," he said.

"And that's the reality. But the reality is that it was only me as a Victorian apart from (Shane) Warne, but we also had five or six, seven or eight New South Welshmen in that squad.

"When you're not high up in the ranks, these people speak volumes about you in training and around the selection table and with the selectors.

"When you've got an opinion of a Brett Lee or a Michael Clarke or a Glenn McGrath, their opinion matters most."

He also said that young players without a regular partner were left isolated when wives and girlfriends arrived, often to their disadvantage in a foreign environment.

"Take Shaun Tait for example," Hodge said

"Shaun Tait was a young guy in the West Indies ... whilst everyone else had their families and friends over there. Shaun Tait was left there on his own."

"Unfortunately for Shaun, he was stuck in his hotel room."