Biography

His teammates vouch for the fact that he is the one of the most charismatic players on the field and someone who can dispel tensions in the dressing room with his rib-tickling jokes.

Douglas Bollinger started playing cricket at the age of 15 and made his debut for New South Wales in the 2002-03 season. After taking 27 wickets at an average of 28.32 in domestic ODIs, he was selected in Australia’s 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy but failed to make the cut.

Loitering for a long time on the fringes of the national team, he finally made his Test debut against South Africa in 2009 at Sydney, bagging two wickets; and walked away with an enhanced reputation, and a nickname called “Doug the rug”. He made his ODI debut the same year against Pakistan and has since been a regular feature in the Australian line-up, though he has faced stiff competition from upcoming youngsters.

Standing at a towering six feet, 'Eagle', as he is fondly known, has a quick arm action and is a thinking bowler. By the second half of 2010 he was averaging less than 25 in Tests and ODIs and had an economy rate of less than five in the shorter format, a remarkable stat in an age where pitches are tailor-made to suit batsman. He played a major role in the Chennai Super Kings’ road to success at their maiden IPL title triumph in 2010. Bollinger had a ‘well-begun’ career and has since then been an integral part of the Aussie pace attack.