Aaron Hardie talks rising up the Aussie ranks, defending Scorchers’ BBL crown

Aaron Hardie is one of the hottest talents in Aussie cricket, but the stand-in skipper for the Scorchers says there’s still more to do in order to get to the next level.

It might be one of the oldest board games in existence but chess has become a go-to for some of the Australian cricket team’s youngest players.

During the recent T20 series in India, Aaron Hardie and Tanveer Sangha engaged in some of their fiercest contests of the tour over the chessboard.

“Sang and I had some chess battles over in India,” Hardie said.

“He was more patient in the long format of chess, but the short game, the dodgy little games in the back of a bus, I had him covered.”

And while his Chess.com profile says he has won five of his past six matches online, it’s not just in board games where Hardie’s efforts in India have paid off.

The 25-year-old all-rounder has cemented himself as one of the hottest cricketing talents in the country.

The 25-year-old has built up a reputation as one of the most damaging three-format batters in the country. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

In his young career, Hardie has already led Western Australia to a Sheffield Shield title, scored the most runs for the Scorchers in their title-winning BBL12 campaign and made his debut in both ODI and T20I cricket for his country.

But it’s those experiences in green and gold before last year’s World Cup that are set to propel him to the next level.

“Confidence is one thing, but I think it’s also getting that experience and facing high-quality bowlers,” Hardie said.

“[I have] come back and have a really clear idea of what I need to work on to be able to take my game to the next level.

“Obviously I had a bit of success last year in the Big Bash. But I feel like I’ve become a lot better player in the past 12 months, probably mostly in the past three months after I got that experience, especially in India in very different conditions.”

The national side isn’t short of fast-bowling all-rounders with Hardie’s WA teammates Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green both regulars in the Test squad.

But white-ball cricket is set to be his path to the Australian team. A strong back-end to the Big Bash season could push him into consideration for June’s T20 World Cup, while there are limited-overs series against the West Indies, New Zealand and England to look forward to in 2024.

The all-rounder makes no secret of his aspirations to play consistently for Australia. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

The potential for a big year travelling around the globe for those matches also contributed to Hardie’s decision to pull out of this year’s IPL auction.

“I entered [the Auction] every year in the past five years and have never been picked up,” Hardie said. “There’s a lot of cricket in the winter, so I’m prioritising some other stuff this year.

“When you do get your chance to go away on those tours like I was in India, you get really good feedback from [the selectors].

“Cricket is a nice game in the sense that it’s make more runs and take more wickets. I want to keep trying to knock that door down.

“People around me, someone like Cameron Green, he’s had really big years where he has forced his way in. I think that’s probably something that I’m striving towards.”

Runs and wickets have never been scarce for Hardie, yet it’s his leadership that has taken the biggest strides in the 2023-24 season.

Stepping in for the injured Ashton Turner, Hardie has led the Scorchers formidably and his captaincy acumen was on full display with his smart bowling rotations on what Ricky Ponting labelled a ‘substandard’ pitch against the Sydney Thunder.

“I think every game he’s making better and better decisions,” Ashton Agar said. “He’s really brave in his field settings and he backs his players in to just stick to a plan.

“Having the courage to bowl young Cooper [Connolly] at the end, that’s some really smart decision-making.”

It’s also unlocked a new mindset when he’s at the crease and a renewed appreciation for the value of his wicket.

Hardie has embraced the challenge of balancing his own form with captaincy responsibilities. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

“The other day when Laurie [Evans] made 80 off 20-odd and I was 30 off 30, sometimes you’re a bit how you going,” Hardie said.

“But it’s nice to be contributing and taking on that responsibility from the captaincy, and taking it at number three.

“It’s awesome to be out there for as long as possible, especially in the shorter format.

“It’s a great honour and something I don’t take lightly. We’ve got a huge fan base back home, so it’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s a great group to come in and take over.”

And while Hardie has made a couple of changes to his game in the hopes of producing more eye-catching performances – “There’s some reverse sweeps out there that I certainly wouldn’t have been playing last year” – much like the Scorchers, he’s hoping consistency will be the key to individual and team success.

“I’m certainly doing nothing too different,” Hardie said. “I’m listening to a lot of good players and if I can add a couple of new tools each year, then hopefully I’m going to make myself hard to bowl to.

“We’ve certainly had our fair share of challenges over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully, we can go three for three and secure a home final.”

Originally published as Aaron Hardie talks rising up the Aussie ranks, defending Scorchers’ BBL crown