Siddle eager to step up against stars

Victoria's emerging fast bowler Peter Siddle says he will draw extra motivation from playing against a near Test-quality New South Wales team in the Pura Cup final. The Blues have included Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Stuart MacGill, Michael Clarke, Phil Jaques and Brad Haddin, but Siddle believes the less well-known Victorians have nothing to fear.

"You always want to play against the best players," Siddle said. "These names come back and they're the blokes playing for Australia at the minute, and obviously if you do well against these type of players the selectors take notice."

Unlike New South Wales, Victoria have a reasonably settled line-up, although they have had injury concerns with their fast bowlers. Siddle has had ongoing shoulder worries - he had a reconstruction in 2006, dislocated it earlier this year and aggravated it a couple of weeks ago - but he is confident he is now fully fit.

The niggles have limited him to four Pura Cup matches this season, however his results have been outstanding. He has 24 wickets this summer at 14.70 and has drawn praise from Victoria's coach Greg Shipperd, who believes Siddle, 23, should be in the national selectors' plans for the years ahead.

"He's bowled brilliantly in the games that he's played for us," Shipperd said. "He's a really hit-the-wicket-hard, aggressive character and we have high hopes for him in the game and in the future."

The burden will not be entirely on Siddle when the final begins at the SCG on Saturday, with all of Victoria's top bowlers available apart from Gerard Denton, who has ankle soreness. Shipperd said he had no doubt the Bushrangers could overcome the disadvantage of playing away from home.

"It's a wicket that is going to attract an outright result and so that's what we need," Shipperd said. "We played up there recently and the ball spun enormously day one, so we think that will assist all spinners in the game but it will also attract the opportunity to take 20 wickets and that's what we're looking for to win the game."

Last time Victoria played in a Pura Cup final they were destroyed by Queensland, who piled on 6 for 900 at the Gabba. That was only two seasons ago but the state's personnel has changed significantly in that time and Shipperd is certain there will be no lingering anxiety in the current squad.

"That's in the distant memory now," Shipperd said. "We've got different faces in the team, we've got a different bowling attack, we've got a side that's got two years' more experience under its belt."

Siddle was only a rookie back then and was not required for the decider. He has vivid memories of Victoria's most recent Pura Cup triumph, which came at the MCG in 2003-04 when Siddle, then 19, was still making his way with his club side Dandenong.

"It's amazing, I can remember coming here four years ago when they won it at home here against Queensland, just watching those blokes then," Siddle said. "Hearing about the celebrations and being part of the team and winning something so big, it is exciting and hopefully I can be a part of that myself."

Siddle and Shane Harwood are the two inclusions in Victoria's 13-man squad with Darren Pattinson dropped from the side that beat Queensland on the weekend. The two main decisions for the selectors are whether to ask Rob Quiney or Lloyd Mash to open with Nick Jewell, and which of Clint McKay and Dirk Nannes will be retained in the attack.

Victoria squad Nick Jewell, Rob Quiney, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Shane Harwood, Peter Siddle, Clint McKay, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes.