Australian pacer Doug Bollinger announces retirement
Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The 36-year-old played 12 Tests, 39 ODIs and 9 T20Is for the Aussies and has accounted for 121 wickets in international cricket.
The left-arm pacer made his first-class debu for his state side New South Wales in the 2002/03 season and was an integral part of the side till he retired. By the time he announced his retirement, he took 411 wickets in 124 first-class matches, 203 List A wickets in 134 T20 matches and 139 wickets in 129 matches for the Blues.
He thanked the New South Wales management for giving him a chance and revealed that he is going to spend some time with his wife and children post-retirement.
"I was pretty raw and they gave me a really good chance at cricket. My first captain for NSW was Steve Waugh, which was unbelievable. I played under some great captains and players for NSW and Australia including Steve, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting. To play for 15 or 16 seasons with the SCG as my home ground has been amazing. It’s been a great ride. I met so many wonderful people and achieved the ultimate ambition of playing Test cricket for Australia. A special thank you to all the great people at Cricket NSW who helped me on my journey. Now it’s time for the next stage of my life with my wife Tegan and my children Skye and Liam. I couldn’t have achieved everything I have without them," he said.
He had a great 2009-10 season as he was named in the ICC's Test Team of the Year in 2010 and he was also named in the best ODI team that year. Following his success in the international circuit, he was bought by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2010 IPL season and was instrumental in MS Dhoni and co. winning the title twice in two seasons apart from winning the Champions League T20 once.