Next year will mark a decade since Michael Hogan arrived in Cardiff to play for Glamorgan.
The Australian fast bowler’s time in the Welsh capital has undoubtedly been a huge success and even now, at the age of 40, the statistics show he is bowling as well as ever.
Hogan might be the master of self-deprecation when asked to analyse his current form – “I’m reasonably happy, I suppose” – but his numbers speak for themselves.
In the Royal London Cup, where Glamorgan have impressed and hope to seal a home semi-final by beating Yorkshire on Thursday, Hogan has taken 12 wickets in seven games at an average of just 10.25. In an era where those who wield the willow dominate, Hogan is fighting back with the ball.
He has conceded an average of just three runs an over in the Royal London, taking a wicket every 21 balls. Hogan is also Glamorgan’s leading wicket taker in the LV= Insurance County Championship with 28 – not bad for a man who only made his first-class debut in his native Australia at 28.
“It’s been nice to turn up to a white ball game and have a bit of assistance in the wicket. Normally, it’s very flat at this time of year and a bit of a bowler’s graveyard,” Hogan said. “There seems to have been a bit of nibble which keeps the bowlers interested and that’s been good for me.
“There are bits and pieces I’ve lost from my game as I’ve gotten older, but I think skills wise I’m now a lot better than when I first started. The ball is coming out nicely.
“I was probably written off a few years ago so it’s been nice for me to contribute to some wins. I still train the same. The key for me is reminding myself I’m not an 85 miles-per-hour bowler now.
“That keeps me in a good frame of mind to know what I can and can’t do. Sometimes the coaches put on an optional nets session and I do take advantage of those. I don’t like to miss sessions.
“I think I bowl better when I bowl all the time. My preparation is more in the mind.”
Hogan might have been a late developer in Australia, but Glamorgan have certainly reaped the rewards of his huge talent. It has been a true delight to watch him bowl this season.
Hogan started with Glamorgan at the start of the 2013 summer and took 103 wickets in his first campaign to win the Welsh county’s player of the year award.
He has been a mainstay of the side since then and continued to play for Western Australia in the British winter until the 2015-16 season when Glamorgan became his main focus.
Living just outside Cardiff with his wife Rachel and two young children, Wales now feels like home.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve obviously needed that rest both mentally and physically,” Hogan said.
“We decided as a family that when our two children started school, we’d stop going either way from Wales to Australia. We live about 20 minutes from Sophia Gardens and next year will be 10 years since we’ve been in Cardiff. We’re settled and have been living here full time for six years. It’s an enjoyable place to be and we’ve grown accustomed to the way people here go about their lives.”
Hogan has long been a consistent performer with the red ball in four-day cricket, but this season’s Royal London competition has seen him star in the one-day format.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had something to offer in white ball cricket,” added Hogan, who in May signed a new one-year Glamorgan contract.
“The problem I’ve had in the last few years is when I have been injured, I’ve picked them up playing white ball cricket. With the boys playing in The Hundred, a few having left, and a few injuries, we’ve had no other option than for me to play. I’m glad I have because we’ve been playing well.
“There is a good mood around the place. It’s nice to pass on some experience to the younger guys as well. It all makes for a good atmosphere. We’ve all but qualified for the knock-out stages, but it would be nice to get a home game.
“There is a nice bit of confidence there we might be able to go a long way in the competition.”
Hogan isn’t showing any signs of slowing down and he could yet end the season with two trophies with Glamorgan competing for silverware in both the Royal London and County Championship.
So, how long can he continue as he heads into his fifth decade?
“I’m happy to have signed for next year, but what happens between now and the end of that who knows? There could be one day I decide I’ve had enough,” Hogan said.
“The reason I would retire would be if I decide I’ve had enough of the aches and pains, but also if the time spent away from home became too much. The schedule we have for eight or nine months of the year takes its toll. It will be nice for me to spend some time with my family.
“Rachel is a qualified lawyer who has put her career on hold for mine. Working around her schedule for a few years after I’ve retired would be my first option.
“I want to give her a shot rather than it being about me all the time. We’ve been living in Cardiff for six years but with no family around and particularly through Covid, there has no one else to look after our two children if I’m away playing cricket.
“Rachel has basically been stuck raising our children for the last nine years so she hasn’t had much of an option to go into her field of work where you’re expected to work 12 hours a day or more.
“Maybe it will soon be time for me to take a backward step and allow her to take a step forward.”
By Alex Bywater on behalf of the ECB Reporter's Network