Bowling Style
Hilfenhaus is primarily a swing bowler, relying on moving the ball away from right handed batsmen. During an interview in 2010, he explained that he is able to bowl when conditions do not suit him: "When the ball's not swinging for me the role does change a little bit ... I see myself more as a dot bowler than a wicket-taker like Mitch when the ball stops swinging for me. I've just got to build pressure and do the team thing."
The onset of tendonitis in Hilfenhaus' knee in late 2009 led to a change in his bowling action. As a result he was bowling slower and the ball was swinging earlier, and therefore easier for batsmen to face. This predictability resulted in an expensive 2010 Ashes series for Hilfenhaus. After being dropped from the Test side, Hilfenhaus was encouraged by his captain at Tasmania, George Bailey, to use more variation in angle and length. On his return to the national side in later 2011, his pace had increased to around 140 to 145 km/h (87 to 90 mph). There have been several comparisons made between Hilfenhaus and Glenn McGrath and McGrath himself described him as "very impressive".
Read more about this topic: Ben Hilfenhaus
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