The Reverse Sweep

KP's Ashes Diary: 31st October - My Ego and Xavier Doherty

 
The Reverse Sweep will be exclusively posting Kevin Pietersen's Ashes diary throughout the winter. Today a jetlagged KP gives us his thoughts on Doug Bollinger's comments about his ego getting him out...

On Perth

Just a quick diary entry today as I am absolutely whacked after that plane journey and we're starting training straight away - you know how long I like spending in the nets. Two observations on Perth. First, it's a long way from Chelsea and secondly there seem to be a lot of Saffers here. I could soon feel quite at home.

On Doug Bollinger and My Ego

I hear that Aussie bowler with the lager surname who looks like that camp bloke off CBeebies has said that he reckons my ego will get him my wicket during the Ashes. Gee, he's pretty dumb even for an Australian. Everyone knows that it is slow left armers that get me out. What's an ego anyway - is it Hauritz's new mystery ball?

On Xavier Doherty

Talking about slow left armers - gee, I hate those tricky buggers - I'm pretty worried about this Xavier Doherty dude that the Aussies have called up. Apparently, he has a first-class average of 50, which given the other slow left armers that have got me out suggests I could be in trouble. Shit, I can feel another crisis in confidence approaching...

Where next?

Read all the excerpts from KP's 2010 Ashes Diary

Zeroes: John Buchanan

Doug Bollinger as you've never seen him before

Eight reasons to love Kevin Pietersen

Please note that Kevin Pietersen may or may not have said or written the things this article said he did. Just in case

India vs Australia: 1st Test: Australia marks out of 10

A turgid game for three days sprung to life in the final two as conditions suddenly became more difficult for the batsmen (a lesson for the BCCI?) and the finish was truly memorable. Yet again Australia's propensity for batting collapses came back to haunt them as they went from 87 without loss to 192 all out in their second innings.

But despite not being a vintage Australian side, they do not lack grit and competitive spirit and it took a truly wonderful innings from their nemesis VVS Laxman in a magnificent ninth wicket stand with Ishant Sharma to deny Ricky Ponting his first test win as captain on Indian soil.

So how did the Aussies rate?

Shane Watson - 9: Continued his inexplicable success as a test opener with two contrasting innings, with his second test century being a particularly determined effort. Now averages over 50 as an opener - we may have been wrong to doubt Watson, but we still don't like him!

Simon Katich - 6: Failed in the first innings before a typically gritty performance in the second, which epitomised the workmanlike approach of this Australian side.

Ricky Ponting - 7: Won't score many easier fifties than he did in the first innings and will still be furious that he ran himself out. Failed in his second knock to a familiar foe in Sharma. Cut a disconsolate figure at the end.

Michael Clarke - 4: Was out three times for 18 runs if you include the no ball from Sharma in the second innings. A poor match from arguably Australia's best batsman.

Mike Hussey - 5: Occupied the crease for a long time in both innings but strike rate was painfully slow on both occasions. Unlucky to be given out leg before to Harbhajan second time around.

Marcus North - 4: He may have got the prize wicket of Tendulkar, but his test career is hanging by a thread after two disappointing performances with the bat. He may have got a dreadful decision in the second innings but it ended a painful knock where he struggled from first ball to last.

Tim Paine - 8: Desperately unlucky to  miss out on a deserved hundred and kept competently enough for one playing his first test on the sub-continent. If Haddin fails to recover from injury, the gloves are in safe hands.

Mitchell Johnson - 7: A typically inconsistent performance from Mummy's Boy saw a wonderful bowling display in the first innings followed by a wicketless second innings. In between, Johnson showed he can bat with a breezy 47 to add impetuous to Australia's first innings crawl.

Nathan Hauritz - 3: Went for over four runs an over and was horribly impotent throughout. The worst Australian test spinner since Murray Bennett?

Ben Hilfenhaus - 7: Poor with the ball in the first innings but came back well in the second with four wickets that seemed to have handed the momentum to his side. Should do well against England.

Doug Bollinger - 6: Bowled wonderfully on the final morning with his extra lift and three wickets looking like seeing Australia over the line. Didn't come out after lunch because of injury - they obviously don't make Australian fast bowlers like they used to. 'The Demon' Spofforth must be turning in his grave. 

Pakistan vs Australia - Australia marks out of ten & Ashes rating

It is probably not jumping the gun to suggest that the period of Australian cricket supremacy has come to an end. At times it seemed that the era would last as long as the Roman Empire itself, and continuing on that theme the fall of the Green and Gold's could be just as dramatic if the brief tour of England is anything to go by.

For the first time since 1977, an Australian touring side leaves English shores empty handed having lost the Nat West Series to England 3-2, been beaten 2-0 in the Twenty 20 series against Pakistan, and now with defeat at Headingley, only drawn the test series, also with Pakistan, 1-1.

As we outlined last week, the problems facing the declining Australians are stark with only a short two test series in India to go before the first Ashes test in Brisbane at the end of November. Groundhog day batting collapses, impotent new ball bowlers and question marks over a number of players due to injury and form are just some of the problems facing Ricky Ponting and Tim Neilsen.

So, how did the players who faced Pakistan rate on the Reverse Sweep marks out of ten scale? And what are their chances of retaining their place for the Ashes?

Shane Watson - 7 (64 runs, Average 16.00, HS 31. 11 Wickets, Average 10.63, B/B 6/33): Just as Twatto's beginners luck as a test opener seemed to desert him, the Pakistani batsman contrived to hand him two successive five fors. The honours boards at Lord's and Headingley will be hanging their heads in shame. Ashes selection rating - A certainty 

Simon Katich - 7 (187 runs, Average 46.75, HS 83): Is there a worse batsman to watch in test cricket today? Probably not, but what Katich's batting lacks in style he certainly makes up for in effectiveness. England will hope his two failures at Headingley are the start of a trend. Ashes selection rating: A certainty

Ricky Ponting - 5 (98 runs, Average 24.50, HS 61): It is sad to see one of the all-time greats struggling so badly; unless you are an England fan that is. For a time, it looked like Ponting was going to resurrect Australia in the second innings at Headingley with his ultra-competitiveness and typical battling nature. But then he got out to a horrendous shot on the third morning. Could we be nearing the end of Ponting's wonderful test career? Ashes selection rating: A certainty, but should he drop down the order?

Michael Clarke - 6 (139 runs, Average 34.75, HS 77): Like the rest of his colleagues, he looked like a beginner in the first innings at Headingley. But in the rest of the series, Clarke looked what he now is - Australia's premier batsman. May end up as captain of his country within a year unless Australia cure their current malaise. Ashes selection rating: A certainty, but should be move up to three?

Michael Hussey - 5 (69 runs, Average 23.00, HS 56*): In the first innings at Lord's it looked like Mr Cricket was going to continue to be the scourge of Pakistan. But 13 runs in three innings after suggests that Hussey has several chinks in his armour that England should be able to exploit over the winter. Ashes selection rating: Probably safe, but given his age for how long?

Marcus North - 4 (36 runs, Average 9.00, HS 20. BB 6/55): His surprising haul of six for 55 at Lord's should not detract from the fact that North's days as a test cricketer must surely be numbered. There are a number of options the Australian selectors could pursue, but none of them should include North in their Ashes XI. Ashes selection rating: Surely, North is a goner?

Tim Paine - 7 (104 runs, Average 26.00, HS 47): Looked very impressive (and far more assured than Brad Haddin) behind the stumps and looked pretty handy with the bat as well. Amidst the carnage of the first innings at Headingley, Paine stood out like a beacon from the rest, and in the second innings he was doing wonderfully well before being suckered by Kaneira into chasing a wide one. A promising start to his test career. Ashes selection rating: Will only play if Haddin's broken body doesn't mend

Steve Smith - 7 (3 wickets, Average 27.33, BB 3/51. 100 runs, Average 25.00, HS 77): Is clearly not the new Shane Warne despite the hyperbole, but considering his age looks a very promising leg-spinner/batsman. His 77 in the second innings at Headingley was quite brilliant - even more so given it was only Smith's second test - and nearly took Australia to the promised land. Ashes selection rating: May well play, either instead of Hauritz or even as a second spin option/number six in place of North

Mitchell Johnson - 2 (3 wickets, Average 72.33, BB 1/31): The ICC Cricketer of the Year clearly doesn't like playing in England and was to be frank, awful. No wickets and no control with only three victims for 217 and an economy rate of over 4.00 runs per over. And like Stuart Broad, any thoughts of Johnson developing as an all-rounder must surely now be forgotten. If Peter Siddle regains form and fitness, maybe Johnson should be the one to drop out? Ashes selection rating: A certainty for the Gabba, but will he last for the whole series?

Ben Hilfenhaus - 7 (8 wickets, Average 23.75, BB 3/39): Despite lacking some match fitness, Hilfenhaus was the pick of the Australian attack (although that doesn't say much). Didn't look quite as sharp as he did in the Ashes last summer but will be relishing the opportunity to cross swords with Strauss and Cook again at the Gabba. And if his batting continues to improve at the same rate, he could be opening in 18 months time! Ashes selection rating: If fit, a certainty

Doug Bollinger - 5 (5 wickets, Average 36.40, BB 3/51): Lacked penetration with the new Duke ball and will be looking to improve with the Kookaburra back in his hand. Always up for the fight though and bowled well on the last morning at Headingley. Alan Davidson is right to say that Bolly is a better bowler than Johnson. Ashes selection rating: Should be the second seamer on the list after Hilfenhaus

Another picture of Doug Bollinger moonlighting as a childrens TV star

Last week we posted a picture of Doug Bollinger as you've never seen him before.

The resemblance between the Aussie pace bowler and CBeebies star Justin Fletcher is so uncanny that they are clearly the same person.

To prove it we have exhibit 2 for the prosecution.

First, here is a picture of Doug:

and now a picture of Justin:

See what we mean? No wonder Dougie is bowling absolute tosh at Headingley.  

 

Questions for Ponting and Australia to answer before the Ashes

As Australia prepare to take on Pakistan at Headingley in the second test today, Ricky Ponting will be conscious that there are just over four months until the start of the first Ashes test at the Gabba. Given that Ponting has already stated that he expects to be relieved of the captaincy should he preside over a third Ashes series reverse, he can be forgiven for having one eye on the challenge that lies ahead.

So how do Australia look ahead of the big event? On the surface, eight wins out of nine tests since that defeat at The Oval suggests that Ponting's men have responded with typical Australian tenacity to the disappointment of relinquishing their ownership of the little urn. When you factor in Australia's excellent record at home and the fact that England have not won a series Down Under since 1987, Australia should certainly be considered favourites.

But when you take a closer look, there are a number of potential areas of weakness in Australia's XI, which England will have the opportunity to exploit should Ponting and coach Tim Nielsen fail to provide a cure before the action starts.

The questions that Australia need to answer include:

How can they cure their bad habit of batting collapses? - As our post earlier in the week highlighted, Australia has developed an English like habit for the batting collapse. It has only been the inability of the opposition to take advantage that has prevented Australia suffering more test defeats over the last year. England, as they did last summer, are equipped to make Australia pay should this brittleness continue.

Does Ponting need to move down the order? - Australia's best batsman since Bradman appears to be in terminal decline and has developed a real weakness against the short ball. Even a young upstart like Kemar Roach had Ponting in trouble, so Stuart Broad and Steve Finn in particular will look to exploit the Australian skipper's shortcomings. Is it now time for Ponting to drop down to five and promote captain-in-waiting and now the team's premier batsman Michael Clarke to first drop? It will be a brave move by all concerned, but perhaps it is the right move.

What should Australia do about Marcus North? - North is like a cockroach in the sense that just when you think he is dead, he'll spring back to life by either scoring a hundred or even more inexplicably taking six wickets. But the feeling prevails that whilst North is an excellent first-class cricketer, he maybe falls a little short at test level especially when Australia arguably has far more talented cricketers to bat at six (Cameron White, anyone?). England will be happy if North is still in the XI come November.

Smith or Hauritz, or both? - A lot of rubbish has been written in the last week comparing Steve Smith to Shane Warne. He is no Warne, but Smith is a potentially talented all-round cricketer who could arguably bat at six (or seven below Haddin). If he plays instead of Hauritz, Australia would have an extremely long tail with Mitchell Johnson at nine (and the new Bradman, Ben Hilfenhaus at ten). Neither Smith (yet) or Hauritz is a matchwinner, so talk of playing both of them is surely a mistake that would play into England's hands.

How do Australia get more bite with the new ball? - 14 of Australia's wickets at Lord's last week were taken by Shane Watson, Smith and North, which suggests that the pace trio of Hilfenhaus, Johnson and Doug Bollinger lacked a bit of bite. This was especially so for Bollinger with the new ball. The left-armer is undoubtedly a good bowler and he has made an excellent start to his test career, but is he better as first change? And if so, can Johnson be trusted with the new ball?

What is the best seam bowling line-up? - An incredible run of injuries has meant that Australia has had to chop and change its seam bowlers since the end of the Ashes last summer. Stuart Clark and Brett Lee have now gone. Hilfenhaus has had injury problems and Peter Siddle will struggle to be at peak fitness in time for Brisbane. Ponting was worried enough to publicly express recently his desire that Shaun Tait reconsider his decision to only play one day and Twenty 20 cricket. It would seem that the captain and Nielsen are not sure who will join Johnson in their Ashes attack. This uncertainty could prove to be an advantage for England.

And with only Headingley and two tests in India to go until Brisbane, Ponting and Nielsen must be getting increasingly nervous. Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss still have issues of their own to address such as who will bat at three and the poor form of James Anderson, but they will be quietly confident as things stand. It is all set up to be a very close series. 127 days to go and counting.  

Doug Bollinger as you've never seen him before

Whilst enjoying the delights of CBeebies with our son Alexander, we were quite surprised to see Aussie paceman and all-round good guy Doug Bollinger moonlighting in a programme called Gigglebiz.

We couldn't work out if the outfit is supposed to be a superhero version of the Australian one day kit. Great look anyway Dougie.

 

 

Nat West Series - Australia marks out of ten

Unlike England who played the same XI throughout the five games, Australia chopped and changed their line-up playing 15 men in the series for reasons of form and injury.

At first it looked like Australia were going to be humbled but with the introduction of the express Shaun Tait and some typically gritty performances, they managed to claw their way back to leave with a 3-2 defeat and arguably the momentum in their favour.

A 5-0 defeat may have left some scars that wouldn't have healed by the Ashes but a narrow series defeat with several key players missing and facing a buoyant England side, will give Ricky Ponting and his side some positives for November. However, the bragging rights are definitely with England for the time being.

So, how did the Aussies rate during the series?

Shane Watson - 7 (205 runs, avg 41.00, SR 85.06, 2 50s, HS 61. 2 wickets, avg 32.00 Econ 5.81 BB 2/55 Started the series as the only Australian in form but kept getting out when set much to his obvious disappointment. Bowling was pretty poor and the days of him being tagged as an all-rounder must now be gone.

Tim Paine - 6 (148 runs, avg 29.60, SR 63.79, 1 50, HS 54) A shadow of the batsman who shone in last autumn's series against the same opposition. Didn't score enough runs and those he did score were at too pedestrian a rate. Brad Haddin, your place is safe.

Ricky Ponting - 6 (144 runs, avg 28.80, SR 80.00, 1 50, HS 92) Unquestionably, the Australian captain is a player in irreversible decline as shown by his struggles in this series. But this was a batsman with the powers of Gandalf and this and his love of a fight, saw him set the foundations for his team's win at The Oval with an un-Ponting like 92.

Michael Clarke - 8 (220 runs, avg 110.00, SR 83.33, 2 50s, HS 99*) His 87 not out in the first match was not made at the pace his side required to set a winning target, but it is hard to criticise someone who had these stats for a one day series. His partnership with Ponting at The Oval was a matchwinning one however, even if it didn't give him the hundred he deserved.

Cameron White - 6 (145 runs, avg 36.25, SR 77.54, 1 50, HS 86*) A steady if unspectacular series for the normally big hitting White. It can't be often that his strike rate for a one day series is slower than Clarke's and his 86 not out at Cardiff proved to be too circumspect.

Mike Hussey - 6 (143 runs, avg 28.60, SR 97.27, 1 50, HS 79) Another Australian batsman who started the series in poor form and finished it close to his best. His 79 in the final match was a typical Hussey masterpiece and showed exactly why he is rated one of the best one day batsman in the world.

Shaun Marsh - 6 (59 runs, avg 59.00, SR 118.00, 1 50, HS 59) Just played the final match at Lord's and showed just what Australia had been missing. Could have played himself back into the team as Watson's opening partner.

James Hopes - 5 (2 wickets, avg 101, Econ 5.58, BB 1/30. 61 runs, avg 20.33, SR 103.38, HS 34) Reminds of one of the many bits and pieces cricketers England used to populate their one day side with in the nineties. Hopes' stats for the series bore this out too. His time must be nigh in this line-up.

Steve Smith - 7 (7 wickets, avg 26.00, Econ 5.05, BB 2/34. 94 runs, avg 31.33, SR 98.94, HS 41)Hugely impressive performance from the youngster especially as England would have targeted his leg spin as a weakness. Clearly he is no Warne, but he looks like he could have a long international career ahead of him all the same.

Nathan Hauritz - 5 (1 wicket, avg 100.00, Econ 5.55, BB 1/56) Played the first two matches before getting injured and must now fear that Smith will take his place in the test and one day sides. England would have been disappointed to see him go.

Doug Bollinger - 8 (9 wickets, avg 19.77, Econ 3.95, BB 3/20) Looks a very good bowler who wears his heart on his sleeve. Good performances throughout the series with wickets and a decent economy rate. Probably nailed on for a spot at The Gabba in November - form and fitness permitting.

Ryan Harris - 8 (10 wickets, avg 17.10, Econ 4.79, BB 5/32) Another impressive Australian bowler who bowls around 90mph, and despite playing four matches was the leading wicket taker for Ricky Ponting's men. Bowled beautifully at The Oval.

Shaun Tait - 9 (8 wickets, avg 12.37, Econ 3.88, BB 4/48) What would have happened if Tait had played the whole series? Must be the fastest bowler in the world at the moment and he combines taking wickets without leaking too many runs. Could be in line for a return to test cricket too - but is he fit enough?

Josh Hazelwood - 5 (1 wicket, avg 41.00, Econ 5.85, BB 1/41) The 19 year old made his debut at the Rose Bowl and seemed to do well enough, but was then never seen again. Did he get lost en route to Cardiff?

Clint McKay - 3 (1 match, 0/60) Also only played one match and didn't look much of a player on that showing. Strauss certainly punished his no-balls. 

The IPL XI of the tournament

The fallout from Kochigate and the subsequent suspension of Lalit Modi over-shadowed the final and helped us forget to write a post naming our XI of the tournament.  We didn’t watch every game. In fact we didn’t even watch half of them, but we have seen enough to name our XI. As per the IPL rules, we have limited ourselves to a maximum of four overseas players – although we have in fact only picked three.

1.  Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai)– the leading run-scorer in the tournament was the main reason behind Mumbai’s dominance of the regular season. If he was playing for Indiain the World T20, the organisers may as well give MS Dhoni the trophy now.

2. Murali Vijay (Chennai)– Controversially (probably) selected ahead of Kallis, we have opted for Vijay because his superior strike (156.84) would dovetail better with Tendulkar than Kallis’ more methodical approach. And his 127 off only 56 balls against Rajasthan was arguably the innings of the season.

3. Suresh Raina (Chennai)– Third in the leading run-scorers list and at a strike rate of over 142 too, Raina continued his good form in the T20 format and was consistency personified. Man of the match in the final and his fielding was top-class throughout

 

 

4. Saurabh Tiwary (Mumbai)– Gets in ahead of more celebrated names like Symonds, Watson and Jayawardene. Tiwary continually provided the icing on the cake to the excellent starts usually provided for Mumbai by Tendulkar; and in the semi-final (when Sachin failed) his innings provided the platform for Pollard to launch Mumbai into orbit.

5. Robin Uthappa (Bangalore) – The muscle man who warmed up with a medicine ball was the most consistent of the kamikaze attack-at-all-costs batsmen (see post on the Lovers and the Shaggers). Uthappa can win a game in less than five overs as a strike rate of over 171 would suggest. Why is he not in the Indian T20 squad ahead of the disappointing Yuvraj Singh?

6. MS Dhoni, Captain (Chennai)– The inspirational captain behind Chennai’s success and the man that saved their bacon in the do-or-die match against Punjab. Dhoni is rapidly becoming India’s greatest ever captain.

7. Kieron Pollard (Mumbai) – The best all-rounder in the tournament. With the bat he had the highest strike-rate (185.71), with the ball he took a steady supply of wickets at a relatively good economy rate and he was electric in the field. If Mumbai had not held him back until it was too late in the final, who knows what could have happened?

8. Ravichandran Ashwin (Chennai)– With a superlative economy rate of 6.10, Ashwin’s off-breaks typically gave Chennai a great start with the new ball. Ashwin was yet another factor behind Chennai’s resurgence from the mid-point of the season.

9. Amit Mishra (Delhi) – This is probably a biased choice given that Delhiwas my adopted side, but Mishra performed consistently well and took 17 wickets during the competition. To be honest, it could just as easily have been Harbhajan, Ojha, Kumble or Murali though as spin came to the fore.

10. Lasith Malinga (Mumbai)– Malinga’s ability to bowl yorkers at will is a priceless commodity in T20 and with his unorthodox action, he can be unplayable at times. Took 15 wickets and did so at a decent economy rate of just over seven.

 

11. Doug Bollinger (Chennai) – Just pips his Australian colleague Ryan Harris and Zaheer Khan. The arrival of Bollinger coincided with Chennai’s resurgence and his performance in the semi-final and final played a big part in his team’s triumph. In his first match he took two for 15 from four overs against Rajasthan. This was the match that saw 469 runs making it all the more astounding.

Take a bow Doug Bollinger

The main talking point from yesterday's slugfest between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals wasn't the machine gun frenzied batting of Murali Vijay or Albie Morkel for Chennai, nor for that matter was it the response from Shane Watson or Naman Ojha for the Royals.

No in a game where bowlers were effectively kidnapped, tortured and beaten to within an inch of their lives, one man stood tall. That man had only recently stepped off a plane from New Zealand and was playing his first IPL game of the season.

Step forward Doug Bollinger, who in a game that saw a colossal 469 runs in its 40 overs, returned figures of two for 15 from his four overs. It reminded me of a Rambo film, where the hero against overwhelming odds, single-handedly fights off hoards of enemy soldiers before emerging as the victor.

If it hadn't been for Bollinger, then Rajasthan would have incredibly overhauled Chennai's massive 246 for 5. Vijay's 127 off 56 balls with 11 DLF maximums (God, I hate that phrase) was a magnificent T20 innings (as was Watson's 60 from 25), but it should surely be taken into the context of a game where the balance between bat and ball was so tilted in favour of the men with the willow that it was ridiculous. If it had been a war, the army of bowlers would have found that they had only blanks to shoot at a foe that outnumbered and totally outgunned them.

So, for valour in the face of adversity, take a bow Doug Bollinger.

 

Finally, Chris Gayle loses his cool

It has finally happened. The coolest dude in cricket has finally lost his temper with his bumbling side following a second successive loss to Zimbabwe. I'd always thought that Gayle losing his cool was as likely as Gordon Brown getting a positive approval rating. Obviously I was wrong.

Speaking after the game, an honest Gayle reserved his ire for three batsmen in partcular saying "In the Australia series, I saw improvements in the likes of Pollard and Smith. To come here ... and the way they went about it, I must say I am very disappointed in those two guys and Ramdin. Those guys were key for us and the way they went about it was a terrible display. It is very disappointing and sad to see how they went about it."

Maybe Gayle's propensity to get out to Doug Bollinger in Australia has finally chipped away at that cool veneer? But his criticism of the three amigos was spot on. In what despite my negative comments yesterday was a fascinating contest, most of the West Indies batsmen snookered themselves in their run chase by getting out to ridiculous shots. Smith in particular was at fault after getting out with only four needed from the last three balls. Gayle went further and refused to offer excuses saying "When you do crap, it's definitely crap and there is no excuse." This kind of honesty is refreshing in a World where cricketers, footballers and rugby players and managers are all too ready to offer excuses or blame the match officials when things go wrong. Gayle, who could have easily referred to the mad schedule that saw his side play T20Is in Sydney last Tuesday and then Trinidad on Sunday,  thought that the West Indies played crap, so he said so.

Luckily for Gayle, there are four more matches in the series for his side to redeem themselves, which even though Zimbabwe are better than most people would have thought, should surely see West Indies win the series. Shouldn't it?   

Bollinger - an Aussie cricketer we like

This Australian summer has seen the emergence of Doug Bollinger as a genuine test match and ODI bowler. If he stays fit he will probably face England in the Ashes down under next November.

Bollinger is that rare thing. An Australian cricketer that this Pom cannot help but like. In recent years that list is pretty short. For their pure greatness, I've always grudgingly liked Warne, Ponting, McGrath (mainly for his tantrums and ridiculous pre-series predictions) and Steve Waugh. I'll also admit that I like Langer (unlike the rest of my countrymen outside Somerset), Brett Lee and Symonds (a fellow drunk). That's pretty much it.

And then along came Bollinger. He isn't a once in a generation player (although like every other Aussie cricketer of the last ten years, no doubt the Channel 9 cheerleaders have already called him one). I wanted to hate him especially when the Channel 9 fools kept referring to him as 'Dougy' - over-familiarity gone mad.

But then I saw him being interviewed by Mr Smug himself a.k.a Mark Nicholas. And you know what, he came across very well, obviously has bags of character and even seemed to take the piss out of Nicholas, which gets a tick in my box. Most importantly, he was clearly so gobsmacked to be playing for Australia that he almost seemed to think it was just some wonderful dream.

Then there's his bowling. Talk about wholehearted. He steams in at full pelt and he harangues and sledges the batsmen like no-one since Merv Hughes. I also like the way that even in his first few matches he was demanding field changes from Ricky Ponting - this is no shrinking violet!

And finally the name. Bollinger is just a great surname and much better than Moet or Lanson. However, with Doug he doesn't appear to be a doppelganger for James Bond (Bollinger was Bond's favourite tipple), so perhaps he would suit better a surname like Tooheys or Castlemaine.