Happy Birthday Peter Siddle: Some Best Performances From Australian Bowler
An Ashes Hat-trick on his birthday? That was out of equation when Siddle was recuperating from a back stress fracture that had ruled him out of for almost a year. He recovered in e0ight months and was ready when England toured Australia for 2010-11 Tour. Controversy had already crept in when Siddle was named in the playing XI ahead of Doug Bollinger, the better man in form.
Pete Siddle Celebrates his 35th birthday on November 25, 2019 (Monday). The Australian bowler made his international debut in 2008 against India and since then represented the Baggy Greens in 67 Test matches and 20 One-Day Internationals. Although injuries have bogged his career, Siddle has still managed to take 221 wickets for Australia and is 13th in the list of all-time Australian list of highest Test wicket-takers. His first international wicket was Sachin Tendulkar and if that wasn’t enough to tell you about his promise for Australian cricket in 2008, Siddle hit Gautam Gambhir on the head off his very first delivery in international cricket.
Siddle was born in Traralgon, Victoria in 1984 and grew up in Gippsland near Morwell. He was originally a competitive woodchopper but started playing cricket at the age of 14 even breaking the Victorian state record that was set by John Scholes. In an under-17 match for Latrobe cricket club, he took 11/47 to create a new state record. He impressed for Australia A and was called-up to the senior Australia cricket team during the 2008 Australia tour of India. He went on to make his senior debut in the same Tour.
An Ashes Hat-trick on his birthday? That was out of the equation when Siddle was recuperating from a back stress fracture that had ruled him out of for almost a year. He recovered in a little over eight months and was ready when England toured Australia for 2010-11 Tour. Controversy had already crept in when Siddle was named in the playing XI ahead of Doug Bollinger, the better man in form. Siddle also had not played since January and that – to many fans and cricket experts – looked like a brain-fade from Aussie captain Ricky Ponting. But Siddle delivered and he delivered big at the biggest stage of Test cricket.
6/54 & a Birthday Hat-Trick Against England, Ashes 2010-11 in Brisbane
England were steadily recovering with Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen at the crease after Ben Hilfenhaus had given the visitors a worst possible start by removing Captain Andrew Strauss in the third delivery of the first over on Day 1 of the 1st Test match. Siddle first dismissed Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in successive over before the big moment. 25 overs after his double scalp, Siddle returned -- Australia had failed to remove any more English batsman and Cook and Ian Bell were busy doing the repair job -- and sent Cook, Matt Prior and Stuart Broad back in three successive deliveries.
Cook departed after edging to first slip, Prior's middle-stump was sent flying and Broad was too slow to move and was caught plumb. Siddle had a Test hat-trick and he had a Test hat-trick on his birthday.
51 & 50 Against India in Delhi, 2013
Australia had lost the first three matches of a four-Test series by huge margins. They will lose the fourth as well and suffer a humiliating Test whitewash in India. But the game in Delhi was special for Peter Siddle. He scored his first and only two Test fifties in Test cricket at the Firoz Shah Stadium.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. But the decision proved erroneous when the visitors found themselves struggling having failed to read the red and hot Ravi Ashwin. Steve Smith and Phil Hughes came closest to tackling him. That, however, was until Siddle had stepped in. When Mitchell Johnson fell to Ashwin, Australia were 136/6. In stepped Siddle. First a 53-run partnership with Smith than another 63 with James Pattinson. By the time Pattinson departed becoming Ashwin's fifth victim, Australia were 243, they folded for 262.
In the second innings, Australia were bundled for 164. Siddle made 50. Australia’s opening five combined to make 51. The next best score after Siddle’s half-century was 24 by Ed Cowan. Both of part of only five batsmen, who crossed double figures. India won by six wickets.
5/54 & 4/50 Against Sri Lanka At Hobart, 2012
Australia helped by a century from Mr Cricket, Michael Hussey and half-centuries from David Warner, Phil Hughes, Michael Clarke and Matthew Wade piled on the runs after opting to bat first. The home team declared at 450/5. Sri Lanka replied with a hundred from Tilakratane Dilshan but Peter Siddle sent the Lanka middle and lower order packing before tides could turn. He took a five-wicket haul, which included the wickets of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews. Siddle returned in the second innings and took another four, which again included the big three, to hand Australia a massive win.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2019 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).