Peter Siddle, Australia’s veteran speedster, has announced the retirement from international cricket. He has played 67 Tests for Australia, taking 221 wickets. He last played for Australia in the fifth Test of the Ashes this year in England.
“JL, Painey and I, we chatted about it early on in the Ashes series, there was a possibility [of finishing in England],” Siddle said on Sunday (December 29). “But there was a bit of back-and-forth about the chances of maybe being able to do it back home if things fall into place. I was pretty content to do it over there, but that small, little hope that maybe I might get a chance back in Australia in front of family and friends, I was happy to take the gamble and see if it happened.”
“Obviously it didn’t, but very content with the career I’ve had. As a young kid, I never thought I’d play one, let alone play 67, so very happy. I’ve played 180 first-class games, so the longevity to be able to play long-form cricket over that short time, it’s all about keeping the body right, maintaining a healthy body and doing everything you can to adjust throughout those years. When you start, you’re young and fresh, you can charge in and bowl fast, but as you grow older and as you play more games, the body starts to wear down and you have to change,” he added.
Siddle has finished as the 13th highest wicket-taker in Tests and picked up a hat-trick on his birthday against England in Brisbane in 2010. In 2013-14, Siddle picked up a total of 33 wickets and finished with 17 and 16 wickets respectively in the two Ashes.
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“There’s many different reasons that helped me have a bit more longevity. Definitely my lifestyle changes have helped, they’ve played a big part, and who knows. But I definitely count them as a big part of why I’m still playing now,” he said. “It’s not about how long you can play your career, but after that I’m going to have a long life retired and not play cricket. So I want to make sure I’m healthy then, want to live my life and live it to the fullest.”
“As well as it’s helped me during my career to date, hopefully it can continue to help me once I am done. It’s definitely worked for me, it’s not going to work for everyone, there’s multiple reasons why I did make the change to a plat-based diet. I’ve definitely seen the benefits for it. I say to people do the research and have a look at what I did – there wasn’t as much research out there when I made the change and look how things have evolved. Definitely worth looking into,” he added.
Siddle has also played 20 ODIs for Australia. His last appearance was against India in January 2019 and has a total of 17 wickets. He has also featured in two T20Is for Australia – against New Zealand in February 2009 and Sri Lanka in October 2010 where he picked up three wickets with an economy of 7.25.
“Sids has been the heart and soul of the team for a long time,” skipper Tim Paine said. “I remember coming up through with him through the academies and even back then he was one of the great team men, something he has continued to this day.”
“He has a massive heart and is a fantastic bowler. He’ll be very much missed around the group. He’s been unbelievably good for our younger fast bowlers over the last 18 months and been a great support for me during that time, as well,” Paine added.
“The year after I retired from playing, Matty Hayden and Ricky Ponting were raving about this guy called Peter Siddle. If it came from them, you knew it was right and so it proved throughout his brilliant international career,” Justin Langer said.
“He is an unbelievable bloke and an extremely good cricketer. He is everything of what a team player is. He has given his heart and soul to the Australian team and the game of cricket. We’ll always be thankful to him for what he’s given to the national team, and for the critical role he played in helping us retain the Ashes in England this year. He’s going out when he’s still playing well which, in a perfect world, is something every athlete wants to do,” Langer added.
However, Siddle will continue to play domestic cricket, including the Big Bash League for the Adelaide Strikers and for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, and county cricket for Essex.
“Part of the reason I do still want to play is that I love playing with young guys, seeing them evolve, seeing them develop as cricketers. If I can play a role even a little bit in helping out the next generation then I want to be able to. I’ve been able to do it with Victoria, I’ve done it a lot with Essex over the last couple of years and I’ve enjoyed it,” said Siddle. “I won’t put it out of the equation that I won’t coach or anything, but at this stage I still want to play cricket. I still enjoy first-class cricket, still love BBL, it’s only four overs, which is a lot nicer on the body.”
