Peter Siddle's Birthday Treat of Test Hat Trick and Six Wicket Haul Trounces England

by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

   Peter Siddle brought England to their knees, more comprehensively after tea on the first day of the opening salvo of the Ashes 2010 at the Gabba in Brisbane. By stumps, SIddle gave Australia the decisive upper hand, something the England batsmen failed to do.

    England tried to establish a semblance of sanity through Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and perhaps most effectively through Ian Bell. However, the cumulative efforts were lost in the midst of a tornado that hit England hard on the first day, humbling ambitions that will perhaps now be tempered after the reality check.

     But England had a fair indication of what was coming when they lost the England captain, Andrew Strauss, perhaps the best bet in the England batting line up at the moment, to the third ball of the day to Ben Hilfenhaus. England knew they had an endurance Test on the very first day but to their credit, Cook and Pietersen fought back the cynosure of eyes by toiling away at their task.

    However, Australia need their bowling to fire more than their batting in many ways to compensate for any deficiencies in the latter department that may work against them. And Ricky Ponting, for one, would be thrilled to know that Mitchell Johnson will not be the only desperate trump card. Siddle has shown that injury lay off has not blunted the edges of his fast bowling.

      Siddle first gave England a rude shock. He took out Pietersen on forty-three and then, sent back Paul Collingwood before he could open his innings. Thereafter Cook was on the platter after making sixty-seven well fought runs. But Siddle did not want one, but rather three. Two more fell in the space of two balls and Siddle had sniffed out England's defiance in the span of one Test hat trick, culminating in a stupendous five wicket haul after tea that decimated England's ego.

    Then Siddle came back for one more as if to tease England. But by then, Ian Bell's seventy-six runs of tremendous effort to negate Australia's streak was completely overshadowed. Peter Siddle had done that. Some would say, isn't that how birthdays are supposed to work out?