Born 1st September 1959 in Blackpool, Lancashire, Carole Hodges is the tenth Test cricket captain of England, leading the team from 1986-87.
The first taste of international cricket was in 1981/2 in the ODI World Cup played in New Zealand. Her primary role being a bowler, she picked up 4-32 against the International XI. She spent much of the tournament not even picking up the bat, such was England’s formidable top order.
In the summer of 1984 New Zealand were on tour for a mix of Test and ODI. After the first two ODIs of that series, Carole, along with five other England players made her Test cricket debut. She had plenty of support off the field – her Mum Joan Hodges was one of the official scorers.
A slow start to the Test career in the first two Tests of that series, but it all came together in the third Test at Canterbury with a second innings score of 158 not out. (One presumes Joan relished every mark she made on the score sheet.)
In the epic 1984/5 Ashes encounter in Australia, Hodges finished third in the Test batting averages behind Jan Brittin and Jan Southgate, but topped the batting with the ODIs. In a matter of just eight months Hodges had become a rock upon which England could rely.
By 1986 Carole has been promoted to the Test captaincy, making her the tenth Test captain of England. India toured for three Tests and three ODIs. While the Tests were drawn 0-0, England won the ODI series comfortably 3-0. Her final series as Test captain was at home to Lyn Larsen’s Australians in 1987, losing 1-0, but sharing the ODI series 1-1.
Carole continued to play Test cricket until 1992 under new skipper, Helen Plimmer. Two more World Cup campaigns, victory at Lords in 1993 a good way to retire. In 47 ODIs Hodges scored 1073 runs at 32.51 with a high score of 113. She took 58 wickets at 15.06 with a best of 4-3. In her 18 Tests Carole scored 1164 runs at 40.13, with that high score of 158* in 1984.
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