Overseas signing Doug Bollinger is hoping that some positive performances for Kent will keep him in the reckoning for the Australian squad.

32-year-old Bollinger has made 57 appearances for Australia in all forms of the game, and was a member of their squad for this year’s World T20, in which he featured in all four of their games.

However, the left-arm seamer has not featured for the Test team since the 2010/11 Ashes series, although he was recalled to the squad during this winter’s Ashes series Down Under.

Now, having signed as Kent’s overseas player in all forms of the game for the whole season, Bollinger is hoping that he can once again push for international recognition.

“If I’m playing cricket here and I’m fit and I’m still going, you never know” he told KSN when we spoke to him the day after his arrival in the UK.

“There’s a lot of cricket coming up, so you never know, but fingers crossed!”

“It was great to be around the Ashes squad in the summer, and obviously to go to the World Cup. I think with where I am in my career, to keep playing cricket is the best thing for me.

“If I sit down at home, I’ll just seize up and be like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz!” he joked.

“It’s good to come over here and keep playing, and if I’m playing cricket, then hopefully I’m still around the selectors’ memory bank.”

Someone helping Bollinger to feel at home straight away at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence is fellow Aussie Mitch Claydon. The pair played together back in Colts cricket, and are from a similar area of their home country.

“We played together back in 2000/01 I think”, Bollinger explained. “That makes me feel old – it seems like a long time ago! That was then, and here we are now.”

Bollinger was also hopeful of living up to the reputation of Kent’s overseas signings of yesteryear. Names such as Steve Waugh or Rahul Dravid won’t be easy benchmarks for the seamer, however!

“Jeez! They’re big names, aren’t they!?” he laughed. “They’re too big for me, those names! But it’s good to have guys like that play here – that means it’s a good club and good people. Hopefully I can bat as well as them! But no, it will be good fun!”

 

Second picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com.