Siddle in the middle

Two shoulder reconstructions by the age of 23 hardly make for a convincing advertisement for a developing fast bowler like Peter Siddle. But for Australia's newest squad member, a former competitive woodchopper, it could have been far worse. At least he still has all his toes. Dreaming of a Test debut without all your body parts would be like running Ralph Nader's presidential campaign: if not very nearly pointless, then very actually pointless.

Like his father and grandfather in rural Victoria, Siddle started swinging an axe when his age was still in single digits, at a time when most of his classmates would barely be trusted to cut a slice of bread. District under-age woodchopping titles came his way in his early teenage years, but Siddle, already a fanatical sportsman, realised it might be best to stop slamming razor-sharp implements down millimetres from his feet.

"Like most Australian youngsters; they all want to play as many sports as possible. I tried everything, I was about 16 or 17 when I started to really concentrate on cricket," Siddle said. "I gave [woodchopping] up when I was about 14 but I did that for probably five years. It was a bit too dangerous. If you want to pursue other sports, it's probably not the safest one."

So the axe got the axe, other games like Australian Rules football fell by the wayside, and cricket became priority No. 1. Siddle's selection in Australia's Test squad to tour India has finally confirmed that he made the right decisions. The selectors have been keeping an eye on Siddle for several years and picked him for three spells at the Academy. It did nothing to reduce the shock of being chosen for the India trip ahead of Ashley Noffke, who was one of the back-up fast men on this year's West Indies tour.

When Siddle received the news he was already in India with the Australia A squad. The selectors had sent him there with a Test call-up in mind, if not already decided. They consider him the type of man who can thrive in India, where fast bowlers must think about their craft more than on some of the bouncy Australian pitches.

Greg Shipperd, Siddle's coach at Victoria, believes the bowler has the potential to do well in India thanks to his ability to bowl stump to stump at significant speed. "He, I was told, was the fastest bowler in the recent [Australia A] match over there in India, which may surprise some," Shipperd said. "He does bowl a very aggressive, heavy ball... great lines, bowls well to right-handers and left-handers, and I think, given reverse-swinging conditions, would also do a good job."

Persistent rain meant Siddle had only two opportunities to bowl during the Australia A series and it was his 1 for 27 from 15 overs in the three-day game that impressed the selectors. Siddle felt that he bowled "all right" in India and that the experience will hold him in good stead should he get a surprise call-up into the starting XI during the Tests.

"The wickets over here [Australia] offer a bit for the fast bowlers, but over there you've got to work a bit harder, change your line and lengths a little bit, and be a lot more patient," Siddle said. "Over here you can work the batters over a bit and have the upper hand. You've got to be a bit more patient over there and take your time."

Siddle continues the tradition of Australia picking bleach-blond Victorians - think Shane Warne, Cameron White, the colourfully coiffed Colin Miller. Siddle has also tried to base his bowling on another blond gentleman: Allan Donald takes equal billing with Glenn McGrath as the fast man who impressed Siddle the most as a youngster.

"I tried to put [into] my game a little bit of both of them - try and bowl quick like Donald and try and hit my line and length like McGrath," Siddle said. "If I can be half as good as those two I think I'll have a pretty good career."

He knows the opportunity for a Test debut is unlikely to come on the India tour, where Shane Watson offers an extra pace option and Doug Bollinger looms as the first-choice back-up to Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark. But for Siddle the big attraction of the trip is being able to spend time around the Australia team to help prepare for the possibility of more tours down the track.

Given the selectors' faith in him at such an early stage in his career, it is fair to assume it won't be his only taste of international cricket. During Australia's years of dominance, very few men have won promotion as quickly as Siddle, who has played only 11 first-class games. His record is strong - he has 41 wickets at 21.65 and nearly all of those came during the 2007-08 Pura Cup season, when he collected 33 victims at 15.75. This time last year, his entire first-class career stood at three matches.

It would have been more but for serious problems with his bowling shoulder. Soon after last season's Pura Cup final, Siddle had his second reconstruction on the joint, which has also been dislocated on occasions. He says the shoulder has recovered superbly but he has also had back injuries over the past few years and his international future will depend on whether his body holds up.

At least all ten toes are going strong.