Peter Siddle hungry to leave 'banana skins' on England's path !!!!

There is so much of cloud and hype to the Ashes ~ they keep talking a lot – both on field (sledging) and off field (bragging)…. The scene now shifts to Adelaide, capital of South Australia … where the 2^nd test starts on Dec 5.  ~ and what does these bananas have to do with the challenge in the Test ???

With a charging run-up, powerful delivery, worrying bounce and elongated appeal, Peter Siddle made a lasting mark in 2008-09 as he stepped up from promising domestic bowler to a speedster who could be part of Australia's attack for years. But he soon suffered the fast man's curse and early in 2010 was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back that required a lengthy rehabilitation. The timing was poor, interrupting his career - now with  169  wickets, Peter Siddle is speaking on serving England something (another defeat)……….. and quite an interesting one at that….. Siddle along with fellow quick Ben Hilfenhaus, was forced to sit out the Perth Test against South Africa last summer after a lion-hearted but ultimately vain slog in a drawn Test in Adelaide. 

They had light work at Gabba - Mitchell Johnson bowled 38.1 overs, Ryan Harris 34 and Siddle just 26.4 -  and the score card read : Australia 295 (Haddin 94, Johnson 64, Broad 6-81) and 7 for 401 dec (Warner 124, Clarke 113, Haddin 53) beat England 136 (Johnson 4-61, Harris 3-28) and 173 (Cook 65, Johnson 5-42) by 381 runs….. the bowling attack and fielding pattern summed up Australia's supremacy as they closed in on victory in the first Test at the Gabba.  Now they are mulling James Faulkner as an addition to Australia's bowling attack for Adelaide while George Bailey may be demoted to drinks duty after only one match as the coach Darren Lehmann considers the best way to use his resources in the second Ashes Test without exhausting them before the third.

Stuart Broad described the England squad as "heartbroken" by the loss of Jonathan Trott, but insisted the team can bounce back from crushing defeat in Brisbane. Broad enjoyed a good game personally, but was unable to prevent Australia completing a thumping win by 381 runs. To make matters worse, England were then hit by the news that their highly respected No. 3 batsmen, Jonathan Trott, would miss the rest of the series having decided to return home due to a stress-related illness. David Warner keeps speaking on this which is becoming too irritating for any cricket lover.

Boyd Rankin first came to prominence as part of the Ireland team that progressed to the Super Eight section of the 2007 World Cup. Blessed with great height - Rankin is six feet, seven inches tall - he gained bounce from even the most sluggish of surfaces; he made himself unavailable for Ireland in a bid to play Test cricket with England. The move provoked disquiet in his home country  now he is in  England's Ashes squad and perhaps may get a chance sooner…………. and ‘Go Bananas’ (go mildly crazy) ………..but before he does, “Peter Siddle is hungry to leave some banana skins in England’s path”reports Independent……..  Crazy !!!!!  do read my recent post on Banana peel here….  (and below is the Independent’s report reproduced)

What the modern cricketer eats is beginning to dominate this Ashes series. Following the revelations about England’s exotic dietary demands for their players during the Test series – piri-piri breaded tofu has never been more popular – attention has now shifted to Peter Siddle of Australia.

Siddle is the sort of up-and-at-’em, tearaway fast bowler whom you imagine to train on raw red meat while running over a bed of hot coals. The coals may still be a possibility but it turns out he eats 20 bananas a day and is a vegan. “I live with a plant-based diet now, that’s my lifestyle,” said Siddle, shocking all those who wonder how he can therefore continue to bowl with such venomous fury. “My partner has been a vegan all her life.  “I’ve had a few niggles throughout my career and I did a lot of research about different ways to approaching my cricket and that’s the lifestyle I’ve gone down. I’m feeling fit and strong.”

This is hard to reconcile with Siddle’s background as a hugely promising woodchopper from a family of champion woodchoppers. He takes his bananas in all shapes, sizes and modes and it seems he buys them from the supermarket. He liked the suggestion of having a banana tree in his garden but then realised he was not at home often enough to eat them. Siddle has become a staple in Australia’s attack. His constant effort is admirable, respected and admired by selectors and fast bowlers alike. Siddle is the sort of fast bowler who runs in all day.

He will forever be associated with The Gabba, where he became the first Australian bowler to take a hat-trick on the ground against England three years ago. It put Australia on top in the match and it was impossible to tell then that the series would turn irrevocably England’s way when they made 517 for 1 in their second innings. “It’s a highlight of my career but we play cricket to win Test matches,” Siddle said. Which, as Siddle well knows, is not something Australia have done much of recently, failing to emerge victorious in any of their most recent nine Tests. “I think our team is a lot stronger,” he said. “We learnt things in England from the way we finished off. It was a disappointing result, we didn’t want to lose 3-0, but we know what we can do differently, we know how to approach it. There are a few things we needed to work on but we have them covered.”

Siddle, who took 17 wickets against England last summer, will be as combative and irrepressible as ever in this Ashes. England will always know of his presence and if words are exchanged – as they will be – it is unlikely that they will be swapping notes on diets. But you never know. A man who eats 20 bananas a day must occasionally long for a pumpkin seed and goji berry bar.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

1^st Dec 2013. [the latter part from : http://www.independent.co.uk/]