FORMER Australian Test batsman Brad Hodge has lifted the lid on a brutal sledging match with Allan Border during his time spent knocking on selectors’ doors for a baggy green.

The right-hander, who is often referred to as one of the unluckiest men to play for Australia, was dropped from the Test side after scoring 203* against South Africa.

But before he could even sniff at making a debut for Australia, he had to overcome the frightening Border in a head-to-head on-field stoush.

Speaking on his Bowlology podcast co-hosted with Damien Fleming, Hodge recounted one of the more uncomfortable moments in his career while playing state cricket against the former Aussie skipper.

“I was scared of AB,” Hodge said. “I sledged him. It was a bad day, actually ... it was one of those days where I questioned why I was actually playing the game.

“I managed to open the batting and the great AB was at first slip for the Bulls (Queensland) — and he sledged me.

“Les Stillman (Victoria coach) didn’t think I could bat anywhere else. (He said) ‘if you can get us 20 or 30, that’s better than what you’re going to get anywhere else’. So I opened the batting, I didn’t really want to, I didn’t actually want to show up to the game and then AB sledges me for the best part of 15 overs. It happened at the change of overs, every time he walked from first slip, he’d nail me properly.”

Hodge said the mental disintegration from Captain Grumpy was getting to him before he cracked a boundary.

“It wasn’t pretty, but AB didn’t say anything on the 15th over, he just walked past,” Hodge said.

“And I said ‘where are you going grandpa?’

“He said: ‘What did you say?’

“‘You heard me. Don’t stop now, I’ve heard it for an hour and a half for 15 overs, come back and keep sledging me. I’m going to stay here for the rest of the day and I want you to keep going’.”

It was at that moment Brad Hodge knew he screwed up.

“Rohan Larkin, the other opening batter, said to me: ‘Hodgey, do you really know what you’ve just done? You know this is the Australian captain and now selector — you’re never going to play after what you’ve just said.”

Hodge went on and scored a tidy 80 in front of Border, a feat which saw him praised by the 156-Test veteran a year later.

“He loved me that much for sledging him,” he said. “I really reckon he was testing whether I was a tough cricketer or a soft individual under pressure. He just got me on a bad day.”

Hodge debuted for Australia against the West Indies in 2005 and played just six Tests before being dropped with an average of 55.88, two fifties and a mammoth double century next to his name — but the uncomfortable axings didn’t stop there.

The 42-year-old was brutally dropped from his Big Bash side the Adelaide Strikers minutes after their disappointing finish to the 2016/17 season.

“I got sacked from Adelaide at 11.38 in the dressing rooms (at) Sydney Thunder after we won that game, which was disappointing,” Hodge told EON Sports Radio earlier in the year.

“They told me, ‘Sorry, we’re going in a new direction and your services are no longer required’.

“Which was upsetting at the time because I felt like I’d really contributed a lot to Adelaide Strikers over the last couple of years and their success has been a part of that.

“But that’s okay, that’s life, you move on. I think it’ll give me a really good opportunity to make an impact at another (club).”