Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger is reportedly eyeing a Test return in the return Ashes series and has given himself a fighting chance to be selected for the series following the crippling back stress fractures to pace aces Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
The lean New South Wales quick, who was dropped from the Australian Test team in 2010 after he was declared 'unfit' for finishing the Adelaide Test against England with 1-130 from 29 overs, has been motivated to work hard in the off-season with hopes of a national recall.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Bollinger was disappointed that he was declared unfit only after one Test, adding that he however, kept himself going and did a lot of running under a NSW running program so that he can impress in the domestic games to present a compelling case for a national recall.
However, the tall left-armer, who has a biting pace and an ability to bowl swing and angles to confuse the batsman, admitted that he was annoyed at being dropped from the Test squad as even though he had played 12 Tests, he was labelled, especially by former captain Ricky Ponting, unfairly as 'unfit' from the results of that single Test.
According to Bollinger, the prospect of challenging for a berth in the Ashes pace attack for the forthcoming home series pushed him to run even in bitter cold, adding that he is also trying to lead by example around the younger bowlers in the NSW squad to teach them not to get caught up in the trap of thinking too far ahead of themselves.
