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Peter Siddle

PeterSiddleSCG2009
PeterSiddleSCG2009 Image: Wikimedia Commons. PrivateMusings / CC BY-SA 2.5

Peter Matthew Siddle (born 25 November 1984) is an Australian cricketer who played as a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler. He represented Australia in Test cricket between 2008 and 2016, with a recall in 2018, before announcing his international retirement in December 2019. In Australian domestic cricket, he has been associated primarily with Victoria, and has also turned out for Tasmania at first-class level. In the Big Bash League (BBL), he has had stints with the Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers.

Key facts

Full name Peter Matthew Siddle
Date of birth 25 November 1984
Nationality Australian
Role Right-arm fast-medium bowler
Domestic teams (first-class/List A) Victoria; Tasmania
BBL teams Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Strikers
Test career 2008–2016; recalled in 2018
International retirement 29 December 2019
Major honour ICC Champions Trophy winner (2009); ICC Emerging Player of the Year (2009)

Background and early career

Siddle established himself in Australian domestic cricket as a fast-medium bowler representing Victoria in first-class and List A formats. Early in his career, he encountered multiple injury setbacks. He was able to overcome these in 2009, when his form earned him the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award.

International career

Siddle made his Test debut for Australia in 2008 and went on to play for the national team across an eight-year period until 2016. He was a member of the Australian squad that won the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

2010–11 Ashes hat-trick

Siddle rose to wider prominence during the 2010–11 Ashes series against England, when he became the ninth Australian bowler to take a Test hat-trick. He was also the first Australian to achieve the feat in an Ashes Test since Shane Warne in 1994–95, and is recorded as the first player in cricket history to take a hat-trick on his birthday.

Later career and recall

He remained a regular fixture in the Australian Test side until 2014, when a drop in his bowling pace coincided with the selectors' focus shifting towards younger, faster bowlers. After his last Test appearance in 2016, he was recalled for the Test series against Pakistan in 2018. On 29 December 2019, Siddle announced his international retirement, effective immediately.

Domestic and Big Bash League career

At domestic level, Siddle played the bulk of his first-class and List A cricket for Victoria, before spending two seasons with Tasmania.

In the Big Bash League, his journey took in all three of his franchises in the following sequence:

  • Foundation member of the Melbourne Stars, although he did not play a match for the side during this initial association.
  • Short stint with cross-town rivals the Melbourne Renegades.
  • Significant period with the Adelaide Strikers.
  • Returned to the Melbourne Renegades for the 2023–24 BBL season.
  • Joined the Melbourne Stars from the 2024–25 BBL season onwards.

Diet and public discussion

Siddle adopted a vegan diet in 2012. He subsequently faced criticism suggesting that the diet had a negative effect on his on-field performance, a claim he disputed.

Significance

Siddle is regarded as one of the more durable Australian fast-medium bowlers of his era. His Test hat-trick during the 2010–11 Ashes, his role in Australia's 2009 ICC Champions Trophy victory, and his ICC Emerging Player of the Year recognition in the same year mark him as a notable figure in Australian cricket of the late 2000s and 2010s.

References