He’s the “frog in a blender” spin sensation who took BBL12 by storm, but now Hurricanes star Paddy Dooley is set for the biggest test of his short career.
The 26-year-old announced himself as a player to watch with a four-wicket haul against the Scorchers, snaring the prized wicket of South African superstar Faf du Plessis.
His action bamboozled batsmen across the competition and he ended up taking 19 wickets, with the 11th best economy rate sitting at 6.56.
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Dooley was a true anomaly for batsmen in BBL12, but now he’s coming into his second professional season and he knows opposition will be preparing for his bizarre action.
“Definitely, I’ve been playing for Tassie as well so a lot of the guys who I will be playing in the Big Bash, I have bowled not just 24 balls but in Marsh Cup I bowl 60 balls,” Dooley said to foxsports.com.au.
“So I’ve been bowling an extended amount of balls to these guys and I’m aware of that. But I’ve been working with the bowling coach at Tassie to try and work on different things and keep developing.”
While Dooley may seem an overnight success, it’s taken years for the Queensland native to cement a spot on a BBL roster.
His first Big Bash came for the Heat in 2022 when he was called into the squad as a Covid replacement player whilst on a holiday with his girlfriend and her parents in Victoria.
“It was very unexpected, I sort of heard the news from a far and didn’t think an opportunity would come out of it,” Dooley said.
“But then I got a call from the head of high performance at the time that a bunch of people had Covid and there’s a chance we will call you up.
“First game being in the squad was actually in Geelong, so it was really close but got the opportunity and it was awesome because I didn’t have the time to think about it.
“I was straight in and straight into playing and it sort of felt like another game of cricket.”
But then it was back to business as usual, finishing his degree in law before studying to be admitted as a lawyer and working as usual.
However, one fateful phone call then changed the course of his life — although his co-workers thought something bad had happened.
“I was working for about six months and then in September I got a call from James Hopes who was with the Heat and moved to the Hurricanes,” Dooley explained.
“He said ‘I’ve got some good news, your manager is going to be calling you shortly, the Hurricanes are picking you up’.
“I was at work and for the next like three hours going to close the business I was just shocked, really quiet and everyone thought there was something wrong with me.
“Went in the next day and said to the boss it’d happened and that I wanted to take the opportunity, and everything has gone from there.”
To find himself with a full-time BBL contract, and also a Tasmania deal for the 2023/24 season, Dooley had to take a road less travelled.
One Christmas Day, mucking around by imitating Indian seamer Jasprit Bumrah’s action, something clicked for the left-armer.
“The India Test tour was going on at the time and I was just mucking around and imitating people’s actions and I kinda did his (Bumrah) and I went ‘oh that’s pretty cool’,” Dooley said.
“Then once pre-season started I just started fiddling around with it and it was really good for my flow and energy at the crease. It sort of kept going from there.
“Everyone when I first bowled to them, in the nets especially, because I kind of do the double pump, they trigger as if I’m bowling it on my first go around.”
Then came the first time he unveiled his new style at Queensland training, reflecting on a hilarious moment with current Test opener Usman Khawaja.
“When it came to Uzzy (Khawaja), I think he may have heard someone say ‘Paddy has changed his action, it’s a bit weird’,” Dooley said.
“Then I did the first bit of it and he just pulled away and started laughing, that was the funniest thing.”
Fellow Big Bash star Jake Fraser-McGurk was equally confused by Dooley’s bizarre action and unfortunately re-lived one bad moment when asked about his opponent.
“The first I faced him in the Big Bash he got me out second ball,” Fraser-McGurk said to foxsports.com.au.
“First ball I blocked it, next one I danced down the wicket and missed it… he changes up his pace really nicely, but I’m confident it only spins away from the right hander.”
His first experience against the Hurricanes gun even forced him to do his own homework, zooming in on Dooley’s release point before they next went toe-to-toe.
“I’ve watched his action so many times, especially before we played them I had him zoomed in as far as you can get looking at his fingers,” Fraser-McGurk said.
“I’m not sure what he’s got in the locker now but I think it’s such a tough action because it’s just a frog in a blender and then it just spits out at you.
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“People sort of just get caught because he spits it out at different speeds, people go back when it comes out faster and get bowled.
“He’s a good bowler and he will be for a very long time in the short form.”
Dooley will be hoping Fraser-McGurk is right and now as a full-time professional he has all the tools he needs to succeed, signing a two-year contract with the Hurricanes.
In his six List A games, for both Queensland and Tasmania, Dooley has taken six wickets with best figures of 2/47.
“It’s definitely a different lifestyle, going from the 9-5 then going to training at clubland to being full time with cricket,” Dooley said.
“Everything I’m doing is trying to get my body and my technique right come game day, for me it’s just trying to make sure cricket is still fun, a hobby and an escape rather than just now my job.
“It’s definitely changed in that sense. In terms of getting to bowl to some of the best players in the world, it’s very cool but again I try to just say ‘it’s just another game’.”
While his cricketing journey began by emulating players Dooley watched on the television, he also had a word of warning for anyone attempting to recreate his own action.
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Dooley quipped.
“I’m yet to see a kid who can mimic my action well, not many even professionals can or guys in the squad, and it’s just a mess.
“If they are able to, good on them, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
