Australia have produced a slew of fast bowlers who have been at their best and done their national side proud. Doug Bollinger can be considered a late bloomer as he made his international debut at the age of 28. Doug Bollinger was a steady bowler with the ability to bowl at good speeds and can also trouble the batters with his bouncer.
Born on the 24th of July 1981, Doug Bollinger made his first-class debut at the age of 21 for New South Wales. The presence of Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Stuart Clark, and Jason Gillespie meant that Bollinger had to wait for his chance.
The chance finally arrived when he made his Test debut in front of his home fans against South Africa in early 2009. After going wicketless in the first innings, Bollinger picked 2 wickets of Neil McKenzie and Morne Morkel to help his side win the test.
Doug Bollinger: Late bloomer and crowd favorite
Former Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger came into the team with the Aussies looking to shore up their bowling attack. Consistent form with the ball in the domestic circuit saw Bollinger earn a spot in the Australian team.
In just this third Test for Australia, Bollinger picked his first fifty versus West Indies with figures of 5/70. His second fifer turned out to be his career best and his best Test figures versus New Zealand where he picked 5/28. In 12 Tests for Australia, Bollinger picked 50 wickets and a further 62 in the ODI format with a best of 5/35 with 2 fifers.
Chennai Super Kings fans have a special recollection of Doug Bollinger as he played a key role in the IPL 2010 final. Bollinger was also a star with the ball during the IPL 2011 season and celebrated by dancing in front of the capacity crowd at Chepauk after the finals win versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
In 27 IPL matches, Bollinger picked 37 wickets with a best of 4/13 with an economy rate of 7 runs per over. His last match came during the IPL 2012 season against Rajasthan Royals and Bollinger sadly ended up being cast away from the cash-rich league before retiring in 2017.
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