Siddle adds to Aussie injury woes
Siddle was in fine form in the Ashes last summer
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Wednesday, 03, Feb 2010 03:01
By Will Haine.
Peter Siddle has been ruled out of Australia's tour of New Zealand next month with a stress fracture of the back.
Siddle joins Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Lee and Stuart Clark on Australia's ever growing fast bowler injury list. Mitchell Johnson is the only fit senior paceman along with relative Test match newcomer Doug Bollinger.
This means Australia will most likely have to call upon the bowling abilities of Clint McKay and Ryan Harris, who both impressed during the one-day series whitewash of Pakistan, to bolster their seam line-up for the March series.
The injury news will come as a huge disappointment to Siddle, 25, who had cemented his place in Australia's Test team with his ferocious new ball bowling, which has seen him claim 60 wickets in his 17 matches to date.
However, the problem was revealed after the final ODI in Adelaide last week, and he will now be out for the rest of the Australian season.
"Peter experienced back pain during the Commonwealth Bank Series," Australia's physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said.
"The source of the pain was investigated after the fifth ODI and unfortunately scans revealed that he has a lower back stress fracture.
"The nature of this injury means that Peter will require a long rehabilitation period and as such he'll be unavailable for the remainder of the domestic summer and the tour of New Zealand."
The first Test gets underway in Napier on March 3rd.