The fast Australian Peter Siddle has announced his retirement from international cricket in the middle of the test series against New Zealand.
The 35-year-old Siddle informed his teammates of his decision before the fourth day of the Melbourne Test on Sunday, December 29th. While he was in the squad for the Test series, he failed and was released to the Big Bash League last week.
So the oval test against England in the Ashes 2019, which he helped Australia get, was his last.
Siddle is one of Australia’s red ball sizes with 221 wickets in 67 tests with an average of 30.66. In total, he claimed 241 scalps in 89 international appearances across formats.
Congratulations to Peter Siddle, a champion of our game, who has today announced his retirement from international cricket. He finished with 221 Test wickets, including a memorable Ashes hat-trick on his birthday at the Gabba. Thanks for the memories Sidds! pic.twitter.com/Rl8UChz8pI
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) December 28, 2019
Justin Langer, the Australian head coach, described Siddle as the perfect team player. “He is an incredible guy and an extremely good cricketer,” he said. “He is everything a team player is. He has devoted his heart and soul to the Australian team and the game of cricket.
“We will always be grateful to him for what he gave the national team and for the crucial role he played in preserving the ashes in England this year. He goes out when he still plays well in what in one perfect world. ” is something every athlete wants to do. “
Tim Paine, the Australia Test Skipper, also praised Siddle and described him as the “heart and soul” of the Australian side. “Sids has long been the heart and soul of the team,” said Paine. “He has a huge heart and is a fantastic bowler. He will be missed a lot in the group. He has been incredibly good for our younger fast bowlers over the past 18 months and has been a great support for me during this time.”
One of the outstanding moments in Siddle’s career was in 2010 when he scored a birthday hat trick against England in Gabba. He fired Alastair Cook, Matt Prior, and Stuart Broad to reach the milestone before finishing six gates for the innings.
🎩🎩🎩
— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2019
An #Ashes hat-trick at the Gabba on your birthday – it does not get better than this!
Happy retirement, @petersiddle403 🙌pic.twitter.com/GO3hAAAEA2
Siddle finished the ashes in 2010 as Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker, scoring 14 scalps at 34.57 in five games. He also made an important contribution to Asche 2019 and collected seven gates in three tests. Up to 36% of Siddle’s total test wickets went against England.
After promising national performances, Siddle made a comeback for the Australian national team against India earlier this year. For the first time since 2010, he played ODI cricket, playing the Australian XI in three games of the five-game series.
