I loved Merv the cricketer, his ability to involve a crowd unsurpassed, always happy to like a teammates ear, and the guts to bowl all week up hill into the wind.

I enjoyed giving shit to Merv the tour guide, when he walked past my seats at the Lords in 2005 I drunkedly ranted off in my best Billy Birmingham cum Bill Lawry accent “Merv, Merv, Merv, He’s a hero this man, I love him, I wanna boof him, Hail the great man, Hail”

I was bemused by Merv the radio co-commentator of Sir Henry Blowfield, surely the oddest couple ever put together, yet I listened to this bizzare socialogical experiment and even derived some enjoyment from Merv sledging Blowers.

Now I’m loathing Merv the selector. He keeps picking bloody Victorians, and this time there’s not only a better New South Welsh player who actually has a CA central contract, there’s even a better Queenslander, one who didn’t make the tour, and he also has a central contract, and can bat.

If only there was some way to evaluate the bowling options in Indian conditions on recent form. The easy way would be to look at the Australia A tour to India a few weeks ago, you remember the one run for the purpose of developing and evaluating talent for the upcomming test series.

There was only one innings in which Australia bowled, returning the figures:

Doug Bollinger: 21 overs, 4/59
Peter Siddle: 15 overs, 1/27
Ashley Noffke: 19.4 overs, 1/67

Now to keep it in perspective, I should mention that Siddle’s sole wicket was the number 10. Douggie got the Indian 1, 6, 8 and 9.

Despite looking 35, he is only 27. The old-young man has even secured advanced hair sponsorship so no longer looks like a ballbag, and has something in common with Rick(y). Doug Bollinger should be collecting his baggy green cap today, and Peter Siddle should be collocting a refreshing beverage for Doug, I’d say an Indian Pale Ale but perhaps in this case a glass of Bollinger would be more appropriate.