Peter Siddle

Australia at this moment are like the WI of the 70s/80s or close to. Plenty of fast bowler coming out of 1st class cricket and they are all real good.
 
Yes Ben you did well, but you weren't the only one - I've been talking Siddle up since that great FC final myself. England fans may remember me predicting he'd rip through England in the 2009 Ashes if picked, and this was about 10 months ago.
 
We need to have Hilfenhaus in there because he is a traditional swing bowler. With him we have a complete attack.

Clark - Accuracy, line, length
Johnson - Pace, variety, reverse, angle
Siddle - Pace, line, length, reverse, wide of the crease
Hilfenhaus Swing, workhorse

Brett Lee is basically a similar bowler to Pete Siddle nowadays and Siddle is ALLOT better then Lee. It is pointless playing 2 bowlers of similar stature. Hilfenhaus has fantastic endurance and has proven in first-class cricket that he is capable of bowling long spells while maintaining similar speeds. Without a spinner, we need this, opposed to Lee who is injury prone.
 
Lee with some first class matches under his belt will go in for Hilfenhaus, if we need a spinner though, Lee would be the first to drop.
Why drop a young, promising swing bowler for an older bowler who relies on pure pace but isn't even that fast anymore? Lee is too inaccurate to be test standard anymore. Definitely don't bring him back.
 
It's been good to see Siddle bowl so well in South Africa. He is one of those bowlers that is always in your face and when he took a wicket in the second innings (can't remember who) the reaction on his face showed it all. He has passion and fire in the belly, which is what Australia needs.
 
Lee does deserve a say in whether he should be selected or not, he did the talking of saying that he wants to work with Johnson and that his stats should do the talking.

Has to be given a chance. Pretty sure he'll be ahead of Hilfenhaus.
 
If Australia are going to challenge Kevin Pietersen they'll need Lee. Johnson's quick, but not Lee levels of pace, and Lee proved in the past that he can get the best of Pietersen. Fidel Edwards had KP in some trouble, with him hanging back in his crease, trying to pre-empt the Short Ball, and at Fidel's pace he couldn't get it away, and lobbed him in the air on 2 ocasssions. Lee needs to play in the Ashes if he's fit, if Australia want to really worry Pietersen anyway.
 
I think MJ will give KP allot of problems with his angle and pace. Similar to what Zaheer Khan did. I remember MJ ruffling up KP in the Champions Trophy 2006 in a ODI with a short ball and the very next ball KP knicked one to Gilchrist.
 
Oh you kids together again at long last. I'm pleased. Really! You guy make conversation worth discussing.

As far as Test cricket goes, Johnson and Siddle are about as fast as it gets. I can't remember anyone bowling faster than 150 in a Test, or at the very least I can't remember a 150+ delivery that was particularly useful. In any case it is clearly rare enough not essential. If Australia need Brett Lee it's because he can bowl accurate, deviating deliveries at high pace. I think these guys are proving that they can do this. Johnson has started producing this outswinger (I'm not going to call it an inswinger, I'm left-handed and I will call a spade a spade). Siddle is a very good breed, he is a true seam bowler, just a great combination of stamina, of accuracy and skill.

I think Brett Lee is the one who needs to prove he's an asset to the team. I know a lot of guys are adamant that Lee shouldn't ever return, but I personally would like him to demonstrate his prowess. Some bowlers are gone at 30, but I don't believe that age is all conquering. McGrath finished at the ripe old age of 37, Alderman at 35. If you've got the goods, the game will accept you.

I believe this is how the selectors have viewed Shane Harwood, in selecting for the ODI squad. I will fall on my sword if he does really badly, but I think it's an excellent choice. He's a bowler of great merit and even at 35 he bowls at a good pace, in fact he is probably as fit as ever considering the way he trained last winter. He simply bowls the riight deliveries. That is what you should always want.
 
Yes Ben you did well, but you weren't the only one - I've been talking Siddle up since that great FC final myself. England fans may remember me predicting he'd rip through England in the 2009 Ashes if picked, and this was about 10 months ago.

I even recall you mentioning his name during the last Ashes!

He seems a right beast though. I wouldn't mess with him.

evertonfan added 0 Minutes and 59 Seconds later...

I think MJ will give KP allot of problems with his angle and pace. Similar to what Zaheer Khan did. I remember MJ ruffling up KP in the Champions Trophy 2006 in a ODI with a short ball and the very next ball KP knicked one to Gilchrist.

He will give KP problems because Johnson is the kind of bowler our Kev will think he can take to the cleaners when he blatantly just won't.
 
Lee is known to swing the ball so it isn't all about pace with him. When he gets his swing going it is a lot harder to face because he is swinging it in the mid 140s whereas Hilfy seems to be in the high 130s. If he gets that swing is the question and how much pace has his lost through the aging process.
 

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