Siddle is wise choice to take most 1st innings wickets for Aussies
Published:Australia’s irrepressible strike bowler famously took a hat-trick at the Brisbane Cricket Ground three years ago and with 17 more Ashes wickets arriving this summer, Peter Siddle seems the natural choice to claim the most English scalps in the first innings of the first Test.
The sight of Siddle steaming in, adorned with the customary white war paint smothered on his chops, has become an Ashes staple, and Australia’s most trusted quickie looks great value at 5/2 to repeat his heroics of 2010.
It will be almost three years to the day since Siddle accounted for the wickets of Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann in the space of just three balls, when he steps out at the Gabba to face England once more.
That most memorable of Ashes hat-tricks took Siddle to career-best Test figures of 6-54 and looked to have placed his side in the driving seat in what was the first innings of the first match of that 2010/11 series – only for England to rescue a draw.
This is clearly a ground which Siddle relishes bowling at, while fellow seamers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris – both at 5/2 to top the first innings wicket haul as well – don’t have the same affiliation with the ground.
Despite recording decent figures in his early Test career at Brisbane, Johnson famously suffered one of his most galling matches with the ball against England in the same Ashes match where Siddle excelled, finishing on 0-170.
Meanwhile, Harris may have recovered from injury in time for the first Test, but is yet to turn out for the Green Caps in Brisbane, after coming to Test cricket late into his career.
If selected, spinner Nathan Lyon remains a good outside bet in the market at 5/1, having taken 11 wickets across two Test matches in Brisbane.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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