The Siddle riddle: Did Aussies miss a trick?

After an enthralling and gripping month of cricket, Ashes is finally set to be over at a score line of 3-2 unless a miracle occurs and all Australian fans would be asking the same questions: Where was Siddle all this while? Would the score line be different if he would have been included and what is his future in the team? All these are relevant questions to ask now.

Siddle who had less chance of returning to the test side has made a remarkable comeback by showing superb grit and discipline in his bowling by picking up four crucial wickets in the match and taking Aussies to a strong position in the game.

Clearly, Aussies had become over reliant on their youth brigade and did not realise the potential of this man when it mattered. The bowling had particularly been the weak link in the Aussie line-up this season as they had not performed up to the expectations and had been starved of a decent bowling performance for quite a while in this tournament

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Siddle who is famous for his hat trick in 2010, was at his peak at that time. At the end of that Ashes as the Aussies were battered, bruised and humbled by the Englishmen in their own backyard, Siddle was the lone warrior and was placed at number 9 in ICC Test Rankings for his splendid bowling.

Then he had a couple of good tours over the years and gradually cemented his spot in the team. However, the lust for express pace by the selectors brought an unfortunate halt to his career and in early 2014; he was dropped from the test team.

It was quite a debacle in Siddle’s career that then he  went back to county cricket and worked hard relentlessly to add that extra yard to his pace and now is back with a bang and although the Aussies have lost the Ashes but things are looking ominous for this player.