By Ronny Lerner
Veteran pace bowler Peter Siddle has admitted that seeing so many young and inexperienced players included in the last Australian Test side made older players like him nervous about their futures.
Siddle, 32, has been sidelined with a back injury sustained in the first Test against South Africa, early last month.
Peter Siddle has been sidelined by injury.Credit: Getty Images
After two embarrassing defeats to the Proteas to start the three-match series, Australian selectors kickstarted a changing of the guard, making wholesale changes for the third and final Test in Adelaide.
Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Callum Ferguson, Peter Nevill and Joe Mennie all made way for debutants Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson as well as Matthew Wade and Jackson Bird.
The revamped Aussie team subsequently won the day-night Test by seven wickets.
"I think so a little bit, I think it always does," Peter Siddle told SEN when asked if the successful influx of youth made him nervous.
"But at the end of the day if you're putting forward good performances and you're going well, I don't think age is going to be a factor.
"You've got to be performing and those young guys, when the selectors put it out there that they're looking for a few new players, the young guys that obviously got picked performed well in the lead-up and that's what they (selectors) want – they want players in form and I think it won't matter if you're 25 or early 30s, if you're performing you'll still get your opportunity."
Siddle, who broke down with back stress fractures in February too, said it was frustrating to injure himself again but was optimistic about a potential Boxing Day Test return against Pakistan.
"The good thing was we got onto it early and we knew what it was so that made it easy just to keep in control rather than push it too hard and be out for a long time," he said.
"I've only missed a few weeks. You never know, Boxing Day would be a nice time to come back but I've just got to get it right and see how I go.
"I'll have another scan next week and see how it goes and I'm feeling good. I'm back training, fitness-wise I'm feeling good.
"You never want to miss Boxing Day as a Victorian."
Siddle said the hardest thing about returning to full fitness was to then ascertain how hard he should push his body when ramping up his bowling so as not to suffer a recurrence.
"That's always the hardest thing I think working out how hard to go once you come back," he said.
"The training and everything is pretty easy because the carrot at the end is to try and play for Australia again.
"It's just about control and how you go once you get out in the field."
Siddle will also play his fourth season with the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League this summer.