Peter Siddle will not be walking back through the Trent Bridge gates this summer. Nottinghamshire confirmed on Tuesday that the 41-year-old Australian seamer has withdrawn from his Vitality Blast contract, citing personal reasons.
The Outlaws had pencilled Siddle in for the full T20 campaign, a return 12 years after his only previous stint with the county. Back in 2014 he collected 37 first-class wickets in 11 Championship matches, helping Notts to fourth in Division One. Since then, he has become a familiar face on the circuit with Durham, Essex, Lancashire and Somerset, steadily offering experience and a reliable heavy-ball option at the back end of an innings.
“We’re naturally disappointed that Peter won’t be able to join us this summer, as we were looking forward to having a player of his calibre and experience as part of our T20 squad,” said Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket. “We’ll now focus our efforts on securing the services of a replacement for this summer’s competition.”
Losing a bowler who still clocks the high-120s kph and thrives on accuracy leaves a noticeable gap. Notts already lean on Jake Ball and Luke Fletcher for the hard, defensive overs; Siddle would have given them another seam option with know-how in the powerplay and at the death.
A replacement overseas player is expected to be announced before the Blast’s opening week in late May.
