Victoria is eager to attract back Peter Siddle, a 38-year-old cricketer who left to join Tasmania in 2020.
The Victorian cricket team has officially expressed their desire to entice Peter Siddle back to his home state, with the goal of expediting the growth of their rising pace bowling lineup.
Despite turning 38 last November, Peter Siddle is eager to continue playing cricket next Australian summer and will spend the winter playing for Somerset in English county cricket.
Cricket Victoria’s Head of Male Cricket, David Hussey, has confirmed that they are interested in bringing back Peter Siddle to his native state, which means he could potentially play for Victoria instead of Tasmania in the upcoming Australian summer. Siddle, who turned 38 last November, has expressed his desire to continue playing cricket and is set to play for Somerset in English county cricket during the winter.
Peter Siddle, who played 67 Tests for Australia, had represented Victoria in 63 first-class matches, 36 one-day matches, and 14 T20 matches before he made a surprising move to Tasmania before the start of the 2020-21 season.
Although in the latter stages of his career, Siddle’s performance has remained consistent, having taken 107 wickets at an average of 24 in 33 matches for Tasmania and Somerset since joining them, and he has also become one of the most efficient T20 death bowlers in the country.
Last month, after the Adelaide Strikers were eliminated from KFC BBL|12, Siddle commented that “the last couple of years, it’s just been about how the body’s feeling.”
“I’ll be heading back to England in the off-season, so I still have a great passion for cricket,” said Siddle last month after the Adelaide Strikers were eliminated from KFC BBL|12.
“I still have the desire to play cricket in Australia, so I will probably continue for another year,” said Siddle, after his team Adelaide Strikers were eliminated from KFC BBL|12 last month.
Victoria’s bowling line up has been left short of experience due to the retirement of James Pattinson and promotion of Scott Boland to the Test squad. This is one of the key reasons behind the Vics’ approach to lure Peter Siddle back, as he could play a vital role in mentoring their young quicks.
With Peter Handscomb’s absence due to his recall to the Test side during Australia’s ongoing Qantas Tour of India, the fast-bowling allrounder Will Sutherland, who is just 23 years old and has played only 28 first-class matches, has been given the responsibility of leading the attack for Victoria and has also been appointed as the captain of Marsh Sheffield Shield team.
The combination of Will Sutherland, Fergus O’Neill, Cameron McClure, Sam Elliott, Jack Prestwidge, and Mitchell Perry has been leading the Victoria pace attack since Scott Boland joined the Australian Test squad in late November during this season. Together, they have only played a total of 65 first-class matches.
Despite having a relatively inexperienced pace attack, Victoria has managed to win their last two Shield matches, which has elevated them to the second position on the table. They are now set to play South Australia in their final match of the Marsh One-Day Cup season, and the winner of that match will progress to face WA in the final on March 8.
On Tuesday, while playing for Tasmania against Western Australia at Blundstone Arena, Peter Siddle’s agent met with Cricket Victoria’s Head of Male Cricket David Hussey and Head of Cricket Graham Manou at the state’s CitiPower Centre base.
On RSN radio this morning, Hussey expressed his belief that Siddle should be celebrated as a great Victorian player upon retirement, given that he has represented Australia in all three formats of the game.
On RSN radio this morning, Cricket Victoria’s Head of Male Cricket David Hussey expressed his desire to see Peter Siddle retire as a Victorian player. Hussey said that Siddle playing his last cricketing days in Victoria would be great and would help to mentor and tutor the younger bowlers. He added that this could fast-track their development to achieve success in international cricket.
“I understand that it’s still in the distant future, but I’m very enthusiastic about finalizing the agreement. I believe that Peter is an excellent individual who will fully support our objectives at Cricket Victoria.”
Hussey and Siddle were teammates when Victoria won the Sheffield Shield title in the 2014-15 season, and with 233 wickets, Siddle currently ranks as the state’s 10th leading wicket-taker of all time.
If Siddle returns to Victoria, there is a possibility that he could also contribute to the development of the state’s next generation of fast bowlers through the pathways program.
To secure Siddle’s return to Victoria, any agreement would need to be reached before the domestic contracting deadline in May.
Marsh Sheffield Shield 2022-23
| Pos. | P | W | L | D | NR | Bat | Bowl | Ded | Pts. |
| Western Australia | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.06 | 5.2 | 0 | 34.26 |
| Victoria | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3.24 | 6.1 | 0 | 24.34 |
| South Australia
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5.37 | 5.1 | 2 | 23.47 |
| Queensland
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.36 | 5.8 | 0 | 23.18 |
| Tasmania
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 0 | 23.1 |
| New South Wales
|
7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2.49 | 6.1 | 2 | 10.59 |
