Siddons sues Cricket Australia over shoulder injury

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, is suing Cricket Australia, claiming he injured his shoulder throwing cricket balls during his time as Australia's assistant coach. The Herald Sun reported a writ had been lodged in the Victorian Supreme Court in which Siddons says he has suffered injury, loss and damage, although no monetary figure is quoted.

Siddons claims he has ongoing problems with his right shoulder as a result of hours of throw-downs on a "constant, repetitive and forceful basis" during the 2005 Ashes tour of England. John Buchanan, the Australia coach during that trip, confirmed Siddons had suffered shoulder troubles.

"I can verify he threw a lot of cricket balls on the tour," Buchanan told the paper. "We knew he was injured when he returned from the tour. We knew he had an injury sustained from throwing. There's no doubt about that."

A Cricket Australia spokesman said it was unaware of the court action. "We can't talk about Jamie Siddons, but it is common for a batsman to have a member of the coaching staff involved at the training session to stand relatively close and to throw the cricket ball at a pace," he said. "It's a throw-down, and is common in club cricket and elite cricket."

Siddons' Bangladesh side will be in Australia in late August for a three-match ODI series. The Herald Sun reported the case was due for pre-trial discussions in October.