Former junior wood-chopping competitor Peter Siddle is no stranger to hard work and the pace bowler’s persistence paid off on Sunday on a placid Hobart pitch.
Siddle claimed 5-54 off 25.3 overs including 11 maidens as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 336 in reply to Australia’s first innings of 5-450 declared.
Australia will resume on 0-27 in their second innings on Monday’s fourth day of play with an overall lead of 141 and Siddle is set to for another stint of hard yakka in Sri Lanka’s second innings, especially with fellow quick Ben Hilfenhaus breaking down on Sunday with a side strain.
Siddle bowled himself to the point of exhaustion during the second Test against South Africa in Adelaide last month as Australia narrowly failed to bowl the Proteas out and the Victoria quick was rested from the third Test in Perth with a sore hamstring.
Australia’s first wicket on Sunday didn’t come until almost tea-time at 5-248 but Siddle was unrelenting and the tourists collapsed from 6-316 to 336 all out.
“Maybe it was the maidens and the pressure we built up straight after lunch,” Siddle said.
“No runs were getting scored, that kind of stuff and that plays on batters’ minds.
“They want to rotate strike so, to build pressure, we were doing that at both ends and we got the rewards.
“The pitch was a bit up and down but once we bowled that straighter line it made it hard to score and it gave us those options of lbw and the catches.
“It’s just that reward. We always talk about and I’m the lucky one today,” Siddle said of his sixth five-wicket haul.
Siddle said he was confident Australia could bowl their way to victory despite being a man down.
“There’s a bit of variable bounce,” Siddle said.
“We have to press forward tomorrow. It will be hard to start for the batters but they will dig in and we have to see how we go and work out a target.
“Hopefully the rain stays away and we get a good match of it. It will be a tight finish.
“Luckily enough we have Shane (pace-bowling allrounder Shane Watson), which is different to Adelaide.
“It’s a matter of going about our job and getting the business done.”