Strauss, Pietersen on top of Bollinger’s Ashes wicket-taking hit list

SYDNEY - Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger has put England captain Andrew Strauss and middle order batsman Kevin Pietersen on the top of his Ashes wicket-taking hit list.

The left-arm pacer was named in the initial 17-man squad for next week’s first Test in Brisbane after making a comeback in Sydney grade last weekend.

Bollinger is expected to compete with Peter Siddle for the third pacer spot in the Australian line-up behind Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus.

Bollinger said that prolific opener Strauss was a “very big key” for their line-up, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“The past 18 months he has scored heaps of runs and he’s in pretty good form at the moment. We all know what Kevin Pietersen can do. If I can get those two in my pocket, I’d be very, very happy,” Bollinger said.

Legendary Australian bowler Glenn McGrath was famous for declaring his targets ahead of a series.

Like McGrath, Bollinger thrives on a heavy workload and was adamant he would have enough overs under his belt to be fully prepared for England.

“I kind of pick myself the same as Glenn McGrath, he liked to bowl a lot of overs to keep his body ticking over and that’s what I need to do,” he said. (ANI)