Michael Hogan

A tall fast bowler originally from New South Wales, Michael Hogan was a latecomer to first-class cricket, only making his debut at 28. After a short time with Western Australia he agreed a deal to play for Glamorgan on a British passport and has produced strong performances in the UK and is considered good enough to play as WA's overseas player.

Hogan, who had been playing club cricket in Newcastle, was called across country by WA for a trial during 2009 and impressed in a successful opening season, especially in the Sheffield Shield, where he collected 23 wickets in seven matches to finish third on Western Australia's wicket tally. When Justin Langer took over as WA coach for the 2012-13 season he tried to persuade Hogan to stay in Australia but the bowler confirmed his change of status. Langer employed Hogan as an overseas player anyway and was rewarded with 36 wickets at 25.86 in the 2013-14 Sheffield Shield, where WA finished as runners-up.

At Glamorgan, Hogan has been outstanding, taking over 100 wickets in all competitions in 2013, his first season in the UK. When he finished as Glamorgan's leading wicket taker for the third successive season in 2015, he was 34 but voiced hopes that he could play for "another three years, maybe five or six" if his body held up.

Although he has few batting pretensions, he also hit a career-best 57 to top score at No 11 against Lancashire in a 2015 season when Glamorgan's tail persistently outscored their top order. The last time a Glamorgan No. 11 top-scored in a Championship innings was in 1982, when Simon Daniels scored 73 against Gloucestershire at Swansea in a record last-wicket stand of 143 with Terry Davies.

He continued to be something of a linchpin in the Glamorgan attack, taking at least 45 wickets in every Championship season and chipping in occasionally in the white-ball sides. He took over as skipper midway through the 2017 season, and continued in the role in 2018, stepping down at the end of the Championship campaign.

ESPNcricinfo staff