Aussie paceman Peter Siddle has succumbed to a recurring back injury after the defeat to South Africa in Perth and will miss the second Test in Hobart.
Lower back soreness has hampered the Victorian, having just returned from a lengthy eight-month break to recover from back and ankle injuries.
The series opener against the Proteas was just his second game back from the layoff, following the first round of Sheffield Shield fixtures.
After a massive second innings from South Africa, the Australian pace attack was put through the ringer physically and mentally.
The Australian team physio David Beakley said Siddle pulled up with some regulation soreness after a long second innings with the ball but wasn’t expecting the paceman to miss any action.
“Whilst we expect bowlers to be sore after Test matches, this was slightly worse than we expected and given that he was returning from a significant back injury, we organised some scans today,” said Beakley.
“The scans demonstrated some low-grade bone oedema around his old stress fracture that is likely to be a flare up of his previous lower back injury.”
“We are hopeful that this will resolve relatively quickly, but have withdrawn him from the squad for the second Test.”
Siddle admitted after day four that it had become a real slog to start the summer.
“Bowling every day of a Test match is hard work,” he said. “As a fast bowler, you always want to have a day or a bit more just to rest up and recuperate and get back onto it.”
The unfortunate injury to the 31-year-old has opened the door for a Test debut.
Joe Mennie tackled the South Africans in the recent ODI series but was spanked all around the park in his first game.
He was duly left out of the Test XI to start the series, but now has a huge opportunity to snatch the Baggy Green in Hobart as the team struggles with a few injuries leading into the second Test.
Siddle has played 62 Tests for Australia but has found himself in and out of the lineup in recent years as a new generation of quicks come through.
Despite this, He’s still expected to play a part in the summer of cricket.
davros
Guest
Siddle wasnt quite fit and he pushed to make the comeback with one shied game under his belt ! Because we cant bat ...he got found out when he had to bowl plenty of overs .
JohnB
Guest
There is a difference in that there isn't a rest day in tests now, and test tours are more compressed, with back to back tests the norm. That makes the argument for having an extra half bowler to back up the 4 main ones strong. Needing that doesn't however mean that you don't need 6 batsmen.
Don Freo
Guest
Not as a sample...no. I'm really thinking thst he has played 4 to 5 games a season. In reality he may have played only a few in the last few seasons. He needs more. If we want him to play long innings, he has to play more....even if it means "managing" him out of short form stuff whenever there is a long game to play.
Rob JM
Guest
Until now Lyon has certainly done enough to maintain his place but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be replaced by a better player, especially if the side is loosing. At the momen't we are struggling to take 2nd innings wickets and that is Lyons responsibility. To me adding Sayers would go a long way to solving our bowling issues, but if we want a second Starc Like attacking bowler we would be enhanced by the defensive capabilities of SOK
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
spot on ^
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Mitch Marsh has played 37 Shield games, that isn't a small sample size.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Which is when the racial quota officially came in Don.
Rob
Guest
We have 5 cricketers in the country that are capable of being top ten in the world if they play to their potential right now. Warmer, Smith, Sarc, Hazelwood, Maxwell. Lyon is a stock ball bowler and is as capable of removing a good batsmen as Maxwell. O'keene brings something different and if the wicket starts turning is more dangerous. His batting is also superior to Lyon. Voges is to old and Mitch Marsh is a number 7 at best but bowls a heavy ball in short bursts capable of getting top order batsmen. My Team. Warner. Burns. Khawaja, Smith, Maxwell, Nevill, M. Marsh, O'keefe, Starc,Hazelwood, Sayers. We need to get 20 wickets. If they play Mennie ahead of Sayers i think another batsmen could come into the equation at the expense of Marsh.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Don't take basketcases into tests
Don Freo
Guest
"Before this series..."
Don Freo
Guest
A bit tough on the GOAT. He has 322 FC wickets at almost 2 wickets per innings. In a country dominated by fast bowling, that is stunning...GOAT almost. In Tests he is taking 3.6 wickets per Test. That is actually fantastic. Deep Thinker, you need to think more deeply. I think you are writing from a deeply disappointed heart...but, chin up! They'll do better. They always do.
Brains of a bimbo (Atgm)
Guest
34 is quite random.he must hv scored a lotta runs in the 35th test for u to xclude it
Deep Thinker
Guest
The issue is that players get annointed with no FC pedigree behind them. Nathan Lyon's first class record is awful for a front line test bowler. Particularly when in direct comparison to SOK who by any objective measure is a far superior bowler and lower order batsman. Why Lyon was selected in the first place and has been untouchable ever since astounds me. He never earned it and never proved himself at test level. Mitch Marsh's batting record is awful. He is just a bits and pieces player - neither a batting all rounder or bowling all rounder. He is no doubt talented but he has been thrown to the wolves because he is not ready for test cricket. The top 5 in my opinion is ok. Not amazing, but ok. Each player can justify being selected. Only Smith and Warner are automatic selections. Voges needs to prove he is not past it and needs to do it very quickly or he should be out the door. Khawaja, Marsh, Ferguson and Burns are all fringe players in previous eras - they haven't got the FC pedigree to deserve an extended run if they lose form. I think Khawaja needs to stay in the team for now. But we have some really good young players coming through (Lehmann, Cartwright, Weatherald) so I think our batting stocks may start to look better very soon. Nevill needs to score runs - but shouldn't be dropped until one of the state keepers show some real form. The only viable option right now is Wade - but you are just replacing one fringe player for another. We are still coming to grips with a post-Gilly world.
Whiteline
Guest
Ronan Bowling however many overs in a day for a fast bowler is no harder now than it was in 2010, 2004, 1998 or any other time. Our blokes (read Siddle) are not fit enough. Most professional athletes prepare for the 'worst scenario'. How you can come into a season not prepared physically to bowl everyday of a test match is beyond me.....that's what happens sometimes!! In regards to six batsmen? Guess what, we need six batsmen. Some people confuse 'all rounders' with batsmen who also bowl a bit. Mitch Marsh isn't that..sorry.
Don Freo
Guest
Marsh's Shield average might have a very small sample size. I don't think he has played much Shield cricket at all. His career...and Australia's cricket...would benefit from an extended series of Shield games. Over the years, Marsh has missed games for T20 games or ODI games "coming soon" and he is made to miss as part of that silly Kiwi's "management" policy. As I remember, he played one Shield innings last year for a 50 (that gave him a 50 average for the statisticians amongst you). I might be thinking about the previous season.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Simoc... South Africa didn't play 6 specialist batsmen at Perth either. Before this series, Duminy had averaged just 29 with the bat over his previous 34 Tests. Duminy's bowling has helped keep him in the side for ages now while he's underperformed with the bat (although quota system has complicated things now).
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I'm not sure Australia scoring an extra, say 50-60 runs in the first dig due to having a specialist bat at 6 would stop South Africa from still making 500+ in their second dig. Australia would have had to bowl 200+ overs for the Test regardless and with just 4 bowlers that is a mountain of work for 3 quicks who we know are not the most durable. Australia are well aware their quicks are not durable and so they mitigate the risk by playing a 5th bowler. They've just stuck with this 5th bowler (Marsh) for too long. If Starc goes down injured Australia are done for the summer - they'll lose both series. So why not do what you can to protect him - just pick a 5th bowler like Stoinis, Maxwell or Cartwright who is actually a genuine top 6 batsman in Shield cricket, instead of Marsh who averages around 30 in the Shield.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Or if we had 6 specialist batsmen, we may have put on a lot more runs and eased the burden on our bowlers. I goes both ways.
Simoc
Guest
Yes we see how it really hurt South Africa in the first test. They won in a stroll.
Max
Roar Rookie
What does Swingitlike Sayers have to do to get selected. Bring on the day night tests!!