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The Surfer

Every Dougie will have his day

Greg Baum in the Age looks at Doug Bollinger’s eventful but wicketless first bowling innings in Test cricket.

Brydon Coverdale
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Greg Baum in the Age looks at Doug Bollinger’s eventful but wicketless first bowling innings in Test cricket.
As Mark Boucher and Morne Morkel stalled Australia for nearly three hours and added another twist to the plot, Dougie appeared to have trapped Morkel plumb in front, and appealed in a way that made this point clearly and unarguably, and was mortified when umpire Bowden did not see it his way. Another expletive followed, which was at least understandable, and from a fast bowler's point of view, the minimum requirement.
All this was enough to make a man want to tear his hair out, something Dougie must beware, since his hair is not his anyway, and if torn out would not grow back, but would have to be replanted surgically, which would cost a lot of money and besides, what would Tegan say? Admirably, but by a narrow margin, he kept his hair on.
In the Australian, Peter Lalor explains the “heavy ball” for which Peter Siddle is renowned.
Not dot balls, bad balls, wide balls or pink balls, just one that hits the bat like it is made of rock. The sort of delivery that hits high on the splice and jars your arm, no matter how far into the forest your bat maker went in search of that perfect bit of willow.
Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald believes Australia must look to the future by building their attack around Siddle and Mitchell Johnson.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here