Injured Siddle confident of playing third Test

Peter Siddle is confident that his injured foot won't stop him playing in next week's third and final Test in Cape Town. Siddle entered the second Test in Durban with a sore left foot and will be rested for the one-day series that follows but he believes the eight-day break between Tests would give him enough time to recover from his heavy workload in Durban.

As he thumped his boot down in his delivery stride at Kingsmead it was hard for him to hide the hurt. To his immense credit, Siddle never wavered and picked up three crucial top-order wickets in the second innings when South Africa gave themselves a sniff of saving the Test. He sent down 28 overs and was so relentlessly quick and accurate that he was easily the hardest of Australia's fast men to score off.

"You can see by some of the grimaces on his face basically right through this whole game that he has been bowling in a bit of pain," Ricky Ponting said after the Durban win. "He never shirks the issue. If you give him the ball, he'll run in and try his hardest for you absolutely every ball that he bowls.

"He was running in as hard for his last ball as he was for his first. That's what you want from anyone who represents you and your team. You want them to give 100%, 100% of the time. I couldn't ask for any more of him."

Siddle has the kind of bone-jarring intensity that means injuries will be inevitable as he builds on his international workload. His Test career is only six matches old but he has already had multiple shoulder reconstructions and he was rested after the home Tests, again due to a foot problem.

"It's coming along all right. I've pulled up a lot better than I thought I would have," Siddle said the day after Australia's Durban victory. "I actually felt better yesterday than I had for the few days before.

"It is just something I've got to work with and work through. But I've got ten days now I think until the next Test so it's enough time to freshen up and let it rest up a little bit. I never want to miss a Test match for Australia. I definitely won't be putting my hand up to rest for this one."

Siddle is Australia's second-highest wicket taker in the series and has been a key factor in the success of a young side that few expected to triumph. His Test career began with disappointment in India and a series loss at home but Siddle is now enjoying the highs of international cricket.

"After the last series back home we got hammered a bit about how we performed and how we were going as a squad," he said. "It was good to win in Sydney to finish off that series and we've carried it on here which is great.

"It was very pleasing as a squad, especially for [Ponting]. He has copped a lot of flak over the last six months so it's good for him and especially all the new blokes coming into the squad. Myself as well, it's my first Test series win which is really pleasing and I'm very proud."