Peter and Nick Hatzoglou are living a dream, and it's a beautiful one!
Peter Hatzoglou is quite the character on the field. There's an air of vibrance, positivity, and energy associated with the Australian leg-spinner from a viewer's perspective and it doesn't go amiss once you observe his body language. He's quite the charmer in many ways!
Having burst onto the scene for the Melbourne Renegades in the 2020-21 Big Bash League (BBL) season, Hatzoglou's fast wrist spin has seen him tie down batters in knots. Now plying his trade for the Perth Scorchers, he played a pivotal role in the side lifting a record fourth BBL crown last season, while also bagging stints in The Hundred and the Abu Dhabi T10 League over time.
However, Hatzoglou isn't one to get ahead of himself. A conversation with Peter and his father Nick that goes back to their story about the sport tells you how deep-rooted the values of remaining humble are.
Both father and son narrate a number of things close to their hearts - from Peter's game to multicultural representation in sports and how it unifies people. And how the Hatzoglous themselves have come together closer than ever thanks to the leg-spinner's meteoric rise in the sport over the last couple of years.
If one were to draw the conclusion that Peter was this happy-go-lucky chap on the cricket field, he/she isn't wrong. His father Nick stated that he was always like that as a kid in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda. Nick said:
"Peter was named after his grandfather. He was always this happy-go-lucky kid and he was a pleasure to us and was really easy to look after. He wasn't always fascinated by cricket but I was always involved in cricket.
"He didn’t really have a choice and he came along. We just let him enjoy the game in those early days but at one stage, I think it was at U13s, he played in the premiership team, took a liking to the game and the rest is history."
His father reiterated that Peter was always a happy team member and wanted to give his best to the team, saying:
"But the emphasis was always on enjoyment and he naturally kept improving his skillset. But Peter was always a happy team member. He didn’t take things too seriously but he wanted to perform. He was always proud of his performance."
"We're just normal folks" - Nick Hatzoglou
It was a heartwarming line that really stood out in the conversation. Peter is the most famous name in the Hatzoglou family and he has, by virtue of his exploits in the sport, brought a culturally diverse family together. Nick said:
"We utilize sport in Australia to bring people together. We’re a very diverse, ethnically and through faith country. And sport is something that’s very popular, it brings people together from all different backgrounds. In my own family, I’ve got Greek heritage, my wife has a Macedonian heritage. We’ve always brought up the kids to respect both cultures."
He added:
"Through Peter’s success it brought a lot of family members watching cricket. They wouldn’t dream of watching it before. It was all ‘that English game’ and it was a bit foreign to them. But now they’re all watching. Every time he plays, the extended family is all watching, they’re all sharing notes on social media and they love it.
"Our family’s always been sporty. I have four sons - Peter’s the oldest. Then there’s Max, Leo, and Alexander. They all play cricket but they love sport. They’re always watching sport and we’ve encouraged them to participate, have fun and enjoy it."
If you need confirmation on that last line as to how passionate the Hatzoglou siblings are about sports, the reaction of Peter's brother Alexander to a crowd catch during a recent Big Bash League match tells it all.
More so, when he had the kit of the Perth Scorchers - the team his brother represents - on, but the six came off the bat of a Melbourne Stars batter.
@BBL twitter.com/BBL/status/160…
Favourite part of my crowd catch is the celebration of my brother Alex in full Scorchers kit after a Stars six. 😂 @BBL twitter.com/BBL/status/160… https://t.co/e87uFaR0Kh
Peter's fame and success are indeed surreal feelings for Hatzoglous, as Nick affirms:
We’re just normal folks. We’ve never had anyone really famous in the family and now just watching Peter on the television we’re always pinching ourselves. It’s like a bit of a dream. We enjoy his success and when he’s not doing so well we’re always supportive as well.
"My story into cricket probably resonates with a lot of people" - Peter Hatzoglou
Peter Hatzoglou's rise through the cricketing ecosystem was by no means conventional. The man himself believes this could have possibly played a role in the cult stardom that he developed at the nascent stage of his career.
A quick glance through his Instagram handle will tell you that dozens of comments reading 'Peter' stand out. The fans absolutely love him and it's something he still gets even today. He explained:
"Yeah, it still happens now. It’s always nice to get the support of other people. It’s fantastic. It’s something I don’t really take for granted. I think it's so hard to put it down to anything, you know, it's what it is. My story of cricket probably resonates with a lot of people.
"I wasn't playing on any of the pathways, Australia U19s or anything like that. I changed my bowling style from the slow leg spin of Shane Warne to someone like Anil Kumble or Ravi Bishnoi - the quicker, faster, less turn. I think that story resonated with people, coming from club cricket as an amateur rather than someone who played in all the pathway systems, academies and Australia U19s and coming through that way."
His son might have attained cult stardom, but Hatzoglou senior is a firm believer in the values within the family. It is something that is close to him and that is what conversations with Peter's game revolve around, rather than the technical aspects of his game.
Of course, he certainly enjoys his son's success. Take, for instance, the moment when Hatzoglou pulled off a screamer of a catch in the Abu Dhabi T10 League not too long ago. Nick's reaction on Twitter was:
"That's bonkers."
? 🤩That’s bonkers twitter.com/TeamADCricket/…
So what are the conversations around the game like in the Hatzoglou family? Do Peter and Nick discuss his performance after the games? Nick answered:
"Less so these days. He’s got professional coaches to advise him, analysts, and a whole suede of experts. If Peter asks me something I give him some feedback but I leave it to the professionals and he’s doing quite well under their guidance.
"It’s important that I talk to him more about being a good person, giving back, treating people with respect, and things like that. We’ve got very strong values in our family."
"It's important he enjoys the journey" - Nick Hatzoglou on his son Peter
The emphasis remains on Peter enjoying his game, even as his father dreams of him donning the national colors. Not just because it would make him a proud parent, but also because it would be a big thing for multicultural Australia.
It comes from a man for whom multicultural representation in sport holds a special place in his heart, even as he heads Diversity and Inclusion at Football Victoria. Nick elaborated:
"That would be fantastic for myself and our family, but also for multicultural Australia. I think Peter represents a sliver of the population that is over 50 percent now that has a parent born overseas or they’re born overseas. So having someone like Peter with his surname representing Australia would be absolutely magnificent. But it’s important that he enjoys the journey.
"There are a lot of great practitioners at that elite end. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but yeah it would be amazing for our family to see Peter representing Australia. Not only in short-form cricket but I would love him to wear a Baggy Green. I think I’m dreaming (grins)."
But dreams do come true, don't they Mr. Hatzoglou? Dreaming is perfectly fine, especially with a son as talented as Peter.
The conversation further enters the topic of multicultural representation in Australian sport. Right out of Nick's heart come the words:
"It is (dear to my heart) because I’ve been the beneficiary of people from an Anglo culture embracing me as a young kid and bringing me into their club. It was a cricket club - the Sunshine Heights Cricket Club. That example always stays with me so now it’s new migrants, we always take them in and make sure they can partake in the game cricket or football or AFL. Sport becomes the unifier, the glue that brings us all together and that’s when we’re all at our best."
It then led to a very heartwarming recollection of Hatzoglous' fond connection with India, where Nick and his better half spent their honeymoon.
"My wife and I had our honeymoon in India. It is very special to us. We spent a lot of time from Mumbai, all the way in Rajasthan and finished off in Delhi. India’s always been a culture that’s been something that we've respected. It’s over 1000 years old and there’s so much to learn from the diversity in India. As it happens they love cricket which is a huge bonus. We would love to see Peter one day play in India and that would be an absolute dream as well."
"All you can do is play in the team that you're selected in" - Peter Hatzoglou
Peter is yet to make his first-class debut even as he has traversed a number of territories plying his trade in T20 cricket. When asked about his father's wish to see the Baggy Green cap on his head and if there is a need to try something different across formats, this is what he had to say:
"I’m constantly adding to my game and looking to improve. All cricketers look to grow and develop. I’ve had some success in the shorter forms of the game so far. I’m really looking to continue doing that for now. Where the opportunity presents itself to play some long-form cricket I’ll be looking forward to taking those I suppose.
"But all you can do is play in the team that you’re selected in and for now, I’ve been selected in T20 cricket mostly so I’m looking to just try and improve my game and do as well as I can in those particular games. We’ll see where things go - I’m still young. I just turned 24 a few days ago. Who knows what could happen in the coming years."
What will happen in the coming days is something time has an answer to. But slowly and surely, Peter Hatzoglou is making the right move towards becoming a household name in the sport.
He began the ongoing Big Bash League season with a couple of fine performances and continues to remain a fan favorite. The dream of a father and a sports-loving family is on and it is a wonderful one. It is one that has plenty more chapters to be added to it in due course of time.
Also read: Peter Hatzoglou - Australia's highly-rated spin talent who does it different