Peter Siddle switches to Tasmania after 15 years with Victoria

Fast bowler Peter Siddle has switched to Tasmania with a two-year contract after 15 years of playing for his home team Victoria. Siddle said a future career in coaching and a chance to mentor the young crop of Tasmania's fast bowlers were the reasons behind his move.

The 35-year old, who had retired from international cricket last year after playing 67 Tests in 11 years, started his Victoria career at underage level and debuted for the senior side in 2005. He went on to play 62 first-class matches and 35 one-day games for them, where he picked 234 and 43 wickets respectively. He was also part of their two successful Sheffield Shield campaigns and a one-day title. He finished with 32 wickets at 19.87 in eight matches in the 2019-20 Shield season.

"My greatest goal is to come to Tasmania and play good cricket, while hopefully winning a few games which will be my biggest aim," Siddle said. "There's a few players down here that I've played a lot of cricket with, and there's a bunch of younger players that I'm looking forward to playing alongside.

"It's a great opportunity for me while I'm still playing to work alongside Griff (Adam Griffith, Tasmania's mentor). I want to develop my coaching skills further and really help some of the younger boys who have already shown a great amount of talent. I see this as an exciting venture for me, and it's something that I am really looking forward to."

Siddle said he was planning for the future as he knew his playing days would be over in the near future. "When you're an older player, it's always nerve-wracking not knowing whether you're going to get another deal with your home state or any state," Siddle told cricket.com.au. "To have four states interested in signing me ... it's always nice to feel loved, especially at the back end of my career.

"But it was about making the right decision to help develop me not just as a player at the back end of my career but also looking ahead to the future and what I might move into once my playing days are done."

Meanwhile, James Faulkner, who last played first-class cricket for Tasmania in 2017, has been left out of the state's contract list. He debuted for the side in 2008 and last played for them in the domestic one-day cup last year where he finished with seven wickets in as many games.

George Bailey, who took up a role in the national selection panel last year, is no longer contracted with Tasmania, while Alex Bevilaqua, Gurinder Sandhu, Sean Willis and Simon Milenko have also been left out.