Adelaide: Fast bowler Peter Siddle, who recently made a comeback to the Australian ODI squad for their upcoming India series, has now set his sight on the 2019 World Cup.
The 34-year-old, while admitting that he never really thought of being picked up in the ODI squad, said that the ball is now in his court and he would give his best to book his berth in the World Cup squad.
“It’s pretty amazing. I never really thought it’d come. To get another one-day game hadn’t even crossed my mind. I know I’d worked hard and tried a lot of things to develop my white-ball game, but that was pretty much on the basis of trying to perform well for Adelaide, not so much thinking the one-day chance would come. I’m just as amazed as a young bloke getting his first call-up, that’s what it feels like. It feels like I’m starting all over again, so I’m very thankful,” Cricket.com.au quoted Siddle, as saying.
“(I haven’t thought about it) since the last World Cup and I probably wasn’t really a chance then. And that was going to be my last opportunity, I would have thought. But now the position I’m in . the ball’s in my court now to try and perform and take this opportunity that I’ve got. If that means I get a shot at a World Cup, I’d love to. I’ve played in most things I could have through my career, and probably the one thing I haven’t played in is a World Cup,” he added.
Talking about his role in the Australian ODI squad while taking on India, the right-arm said that his focus would be on death bowling adding that he is trying to perfect that skill for the team.
“I think there’ll be a bit of an emphasis on death bowling and trying to perfect that skill for the team. The skills I’ve worked on over the last 12 months for the Strikers have set me up to at least have a crack at it. It’s something I’ve worked on in the last couple of weeks leading into this Big Bash,” Siddle said.
“I’m definitely up for it. If the role’s there to play for this series or going forward, I feel confident I can step in and take on that role,” he added.
Siddle played his last one-day match back in 2010 against Sri Lanka. He has scalped a total of 15 wickets for Australia in 17 ODIs that he has played with an economy rate of 4.64.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]