Energetic Bollinger champing at the bit

Doug Bollinger couldn't be much less like Ben Hilfenhaus, who he will replace in Australia's Test team in Adelaide. The right-arm swing bowler Hilfenhaus is quiet and the last man you'd expect to be involved in a bit of on-field banter. Bollinger is a left-arm hit-the-deck type who, when asked what he would bring to the Australian team, gave this response.

"Probably a lot of noise, a lot of energy, that's what I like to do, I like to be loud, I like to have fun and I like to get in amongst it and have a good time with the guys," Bollinger said. "You can't be sitting around all quiet all the time, I like to bring a bit of everything.

"I like to be loud and obnoxious - I think that's just me and my profile, 'Doug's loud and obnoxious'. I like to do that on the field as well as doing the work, it makes everyone enjoy themselves whether you have long or short days in the field."

Bollinger not only enjoys banter with his team-mates and opponents but also with spectators. During Australia's tour match in Potchefstroom on the tour of South Africa earlier this year, some local wags kept yelling 'wide' at Bollinger during a slightly wayward spell.

They didn't count on a response from the bowler himself, who yelled back "it's a four-day game, there are no wides, ya nuffies". Never mind that wides do of course exist in the longer format and, in any case, it was actually a three-day match. It just wasn't in Bollinger's nature to keep his mouth shut.

Fortunately, his bowling also speaks volumes. A tireless worker on the field, Bollinger has a happy knack of regularly taking bags of wickets. He picked up eight in last week's Sheffield Shield game in Perth, already has two five-fors in a seven-match ODI career, and has been on so many tours with Australia it's hard to believe he has played only one Test.

"It felt really good in Perth, against the WACAs for New South Wales," he said. "I was swinging the ball and bowling pretty fast. I was swinging the new ball and bowling Irish with the old one, so I'm feeling really good at the moment. I think [the Adelaide pitch] will be flatter than Brisbane, so you've just got to bash away."

However, Bollinger isn't brash enough to predict another three-day victory for Australia after their innings triumph at the Gabba. He knows that he, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Nathan Hauritz will have to work hard to knock over the visitors on a surface likely to be a batsman's paradise.

"They are not bunnies. They are a good team," he said. "They just got beaten by a better team in Brisbane. [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul is a very good batter. He likes to face a lot of balls and is just a rare talent. [Ramnaresh] Sarwan bats long and well and [Chris] Gayle could go off at any time."

West Indies will be hurt by the loss of Jerome Taylor, who was heading home due to a back strain, and is likely to be replaced in the starting XI by Gavin Tonge. However, they should regain Sarwan, who missed the Gabba Test with a back injury.