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| August 04, 2006 | Friday | Rajab 8, 1427 |
Hoggard sets sights on 500 wickets
LEEDS, Aug 3: Matthew Hoggard heads into the start of the third Test against Pakistan on Friday desperate to reach the landmark of 500 first-class wickets on his Headingley home ground.
The 29-year-old Yorkshire swing bowler is just four victims away from the milestone and said there was no better place to do it than in front of his fellow Tykes.
“It would be fantastic to get to 500 first-class wickets during the next few days and particularly memorable to achieve it at Headingley.
“It's a big motivation going into the game because milestone such as this don't come around often,” Hoggard also told the Yorkshire Post broadsheet.
“To achieve it at Headingley is something I would cherish for the rest of my life and I know the crowd will be right behind me.
“An England victory against Pakistan and four wickets for Matthew Hoggard — now that would do very nicely indeed, thank you very much.”
Hoggard, 29, has played 56 Tests, taking 217 wickets. During that time he has appeared on some of cricket's most memorable grounds such as Lord's, Newlands in Cape Town and the Adelaide Oval.
But as far as the pace bowler was concerned there's no place like home.
“There's just something about the ground I can't put into words,” he said.
“It's where I was brought up, it's where I played my cricket as a youngster, it's where I've played my county career with Yorkshire and then gone on to represent England.”
But Hoggard has additional motivation for wanting to do well at Headingley this time after going wicketless at Old Trafford where fast bowler Stephen Harmison and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar took 19 wickets between them, the other down to a run-out.—AFP
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