Shane Warne backs BBL star Peter Hatzoglou star to attract IPL attention
Shane Warne has backed Melbourne Renegades' spinner Peter Hatzoglou to attract attention when the IPL auction gets underway next month. The Australian said that Peter Hatzoglou’s bowling style makes him an attractive proposition on Indian wickets.
The Renegades star has been one of Big Bash’s breakout stars this season. Peter Hatzgolou has gone from strength to strength after being picked as a local replacement, and his latest performance took him to 9th place in this year’s wicket-taking charts. He now has 16 wickets from 12 games this season.
Shane Warne was in awe of Peter Hatzoglou’s performances this season, as he spoke on Fox Cricket about the 22-year-old’s IPL prospects.
“I think there would be a lot of interest in Hatzoglou around the world. Especially in the IPL and tournaments like that. I bet you he gets picked up in the IPL, the way he’s bowled. A lot of the franchises over there will look at him and go ‘Wow, he could be a real handful in India’”
Peter Hatzoglou’s rise has been meteoric, to say the least. A few years ago he was playing third-grade premier cricket for Melbourne University and now he is the talk of the town. A leggie known for bowling at pace, Shane Warne is left impressed with Hatzoglou’s bowling style.
“I’ve been impressed with this guy. I think the way he bowls, the way he bowls it into the pitch, he gives it a fearful fizz in his hand before he bowls. He’s not a big spinner of the ball, but he does bowl out the back of the hand so he does bowl leg breaks. He can get the occasional one to straighten. He’s looking to bowl the ball fast, into the pitch, and hit the top of the stumps.”
Australian spinners haven’t really performed in the IPL. But Shane Warne believes Peter Hatzoglou could change that come IPL 2021. The fact that he is difficult to score off could work to his advantage, feels Shane Warne.
"It’s very hard to sweep him because he’s so fast and into the pitch. And it’s very hard to run at him, very hard to score off him. When you think of those subcontinent conditions, the next IPL is in India, on those Indian pitches and flat ones like that, bowling second – he could be a real handful bowling it fast into the pitch. He’d be hard to get away."
Michael Hussey backs Shane Warne on Hatzoglou claims
Shane Warne wasn’t the only former cricketer left impressed by Peter Hatzoglou. IPL veteran Michael Hussey agreed with Shane Warne, explaining how batsmen may struggle to score against the man who has the same number of BBL wickets as Rashid Khan this season.
“He would be hard to face because he doesn’t give it any air. You can’t skip down the pitch to him and use your feet. For a right-hander, he’s angling in all the time so it’s hard to get your arms free to swing him out of the park as well.”