Bollinger, a beer-and-sawdust man far removed from sipping sherry: Roebuck

Sydney, Dec 19(ANI): Noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck has said that the latest addition to the Australian fast bowling arsenal- Doug Bollinger- is an "uncompromising speedster", who grabs the ball with an undeterred aim to demolish the opposition's batting line-up.

"Bollinger looks like a beer-and-sawdust man, a straight shooter, unstinting, unwavering, uncomplicated. Certainly he bowls along these lines," Roebuck wrote in a syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

"As far as he is concerned, coaches over-elaborate and captains confuse the issue. Umpires are tolerable so long as they answer his appeals in the affirmative. Otherwise they are as much use as traffic wardens. Referees are beyond the pale," he added.

He further said that Bollinger has the temperament to set the tone and provide leadership that the bowling attack craves for, but strength and simplicity are his virtues.

"Bollinger is a throwback and none the worse for that. It is hard to imagine him twittering or facebooking or worrying about carbon footprints or sipping sherry. For all this column knows he may favour delicatessens and waxed chests, but it seems unlikely," Roebuck said.

He also highlighted Bollinger's splendid post-lunch spell on the third day at WACA ground in Perth, where he finished with figures of five wickets for 70 runs from 20 overs, his first five-wicket haul in only his third Test match.

"Australians had raised their game by cutting out the loose deliveries so thoughtfully provided on the previous evening. Steaming to the crease, managing to convey his low opinion of batsmen without opening his mouth, hitting his length and his straps, he caused first a commotion and then a collapse," Roebuck said.

"Upon taking his fifth wicket, he held the ball aloft and looked as pleased as punch. His smile will have lingered deep into the night," he added. (ANI)