In-form NSW quick Doug Bollinger says he will never give up on a Test recall, and credits a new approach to fitness for his devastating start to the Sheffield Shield this summer.
Bollinger will take his outstanding form to Tasmania on Friday as he looks to stay at the forefront of Test selectors’ minds.
The 32-year-old last played Test cricket in 2010, when he struggled against England at the Adelaide Oval and was criticised for his lack of fitness.
But he has rarely looked as fearsome as he has in spells this season, a trait he puts down to having a proper off-season and a better attitude to fitness.
Rather than spending the winter months cashing in during the Indian Premier League, Bollinger was hitting the bitumen for runs along Old Windsor Road in Sydney’s Hills District.
The results are there for everyone, including selectors, to see.
The lethal left-armer has taken 14 wickets at 21.8 making him the leading fast bowler in Shield cricket this summer and the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall.
Bollinger says he definitely still harbours ambitions of adding to his 12 Test caps.
“It’s a massive question, but why not keep trying to take wickets and playing games the way things are going?” Bollinger told AAP on Wednesday.
“Who knows what the future can hold.
“What I’m doing at the moment, I’m just trying to ride the wave in doing what I can and just having fun with it.
“You’re a long time retired and all of a sudden it’s gone.”
Often criticised for his attitude to fitness, Bollinger said something triggered inside him last year which sparked the road runs and new approach.
“To be honest, I’m 32 so you’ve got to keep ticking over,” he said.
“I’m not getting any younger and it does get a bit harder.
“You just have to keep doing stuff over the off-season and make sure I kept up with the young blokes in the off-season.
“I feel fit and I’m bowling as well as I have in a long time.”
During NSW’s draw with Queensland over the weekend, Bollinger had an engaging verbal battle with Bulls’ batsman Peter Forrest, who wore a bouncer to the helmet during one particularly fierce spell.
The title of NSW’s aggressor is one that sits well with Bollinger.
“When I started it didn’t matter if you were young or old, no matter who you were, you had to be aggressive,” he said.
“And that’s just professional sport mate. It’s old school cricket.
“I’m just giving back what I copped.”
Towering quick Josh Hazlewood has been overlooked for the Tigers match after missing two weeks with a shin injury, despite making a successful comeback through grade cricket last weekend, while allrounder Moises Henriques will miss the game with a groin strain.
