Peter Siddle eyeing Ashes farewell as Essex bid to revive season

The Australian paceman could feature in his sixth Test series against England if he were selected this summer but knows turned around the Chelmsford county's fortunes will be key

Peter Siddle knows that a strong two-month blast with the red ball for Essex could cement his place in Australia’s squad for what would be his sixth and probably last Ashes series.

The 34-year-old has eight Specsavers County Championship matches over the next nine weeks to showcase his talents and is confident he has the ability, and track record, in English conditions to make him a vital part of Australia’s bid to win an away Ashes series for the first time in 18 years.

“It’s about working hard,” he said ahead of Essex hosting his former county Nottinghamshire at Chelmsford this week.

“Knowing at the back of my mind that I still want to play for Australia. This will probably be my last year to play in an Ashes series, so that is going to be the goal.

“I’m old enough now to know that all I’ve got to do is stay fit, stay on the park, and keep putting good performances on the board. That’s all I can control.

“But, yeah, I’m confident [about Ashes selection]. Whether the selectors see it that way or not only time will tell. But my experience of the first-class game in England is probably more than the rest of the group put together.

“And that experience should mean I’m going to be a big candidate to be in that squad.”

Siddle claimed 37 Championship wickets at an average of just 16.40 for Essex last season and was promptly rewarded with an Australia recall for their Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

It ended two years away from the Test team after he suffered a stress fracture in his back, but his thirst for hard work and nous with the Dukes ball has seen him edge his way back into Ashes calculations.

Recent confirmation that the same Dukes ball, that has been employed during recent Test summers in England, would also be utilised in the Ashes probably only further served to push forward Siddle’s case for inclusion.

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And the Victorian has already enjoyed his return to the Championship this summer after claiming his Essex-best figures of 6-104 in their draw with champions Surrey, which arrived on the back of a five-wicket haul in the Sheffield Shield final victory over New South Wales.

“I love playing over here,” he said. “l love the conditions and the environment; I love everything about it. It was a no-brainer when Essex offered me a two-year extension to my contract.

“Fingers crossed I’ll keep playing over here for a whole lot longer. This is only the start.”

It has been an inauspicious beginning to the 2019 domestic season for Essex with a damaging Championship defeat at Hampshire preceding the Surrey bounceback before a dismal Royal London One-Day Cup campaign, in which Siddle finished as the county’s top wicket-taker with a dozen from six appearances.

“We just weren’t able to nail it with either our batting or bowling,” he said.

“If you are a little bit off in both skills, and we were, it’s hard to win matches. It cost us in some of those close games.”

As for the Championship, Siddle added: “The first two games especially are going to be very important. We’ve got to make sure we hit the ground running and get good results to set up our season.

“We can’t have a slow start like we did in the one-day comp and get left behind. If you do that in these first couple of games your season could be really under pressure.”

Siddle and his Essex team-mates will first come up against a Nottinghamshire side that will boast their own Victorian paceman with Ashes aspirations in James Pattinson.

The pair shared the new-ball and took 13 wickets for Victoria in the Shield final against New South Wales and Siddle is looking forward to their reunion, adding: “Jimmy Patto, my little buddy. That should be fun.” 

Courtesy of the ECB reporters network

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