Skip to content

Mason hopes for Hoggard

Image: Hoggard: Leading wicket-taker

Worcestershire bowling coach Matt Mason believes Matthew Hoggard would be a "great addition" to the squad.

Latest Cricket Stories

Royals coach thinks Hoggard would be "massive asset"

Worcestershire bowling coach Matt Mason believes Matthew Hoggard would be a "great addition" to the squad and would help to develop the potential of the young bowlers on the team. The Royals have given Yorkshire 28 days of notice of approach to speak to 32-year-old Hoggard and 23-year-old paceman Ajmal Shahzad. And Mason, who still plays for the Worcestershire first team, said: "Anyone with that sort of experience, especially at international level, and what they would bring to our younger bowlers is priceless - and also what he would bring as a performer." Mason also believes Hoggard might have a point to prove after being dropped by the England team in 2008 and believes a change of scenery would do him good. He said: "He is still a very good bowler. We can't forget that. Just because he has finished playing for England, he is still a class performer and would be a great addition to our squad. "Maybe he would also get a new lease of life. That can happen. When you are an older player and have spent a lot of time at one club, sometimes a change is as good as a holiday. "When you move, you are keen to impress and it might just be a little injection for him and he might just want to remind a few people 'I was once a great Test bowler for England'."

Asset

Hoggard's last England appearance was in March 2008 against New Zealand and since then he has gone on to perform impressively in the LV County Championship. The bowler is Yorkshire's leading wicket-taker and claimed 15 victims in the championship this season. Mason added: "If we get back to the type of pitches we have played on the last couple of years, certainly he would be a handful if the ball swings. "But again he has had so much experience, he could adapt his bowling to any sort of surface. "I am sure he doesn't think he is finished as a bowler and if he was to come to Worcester, he would be a great asset for us."

Around Sky