Veteran quick will no longer play for Nottinghamshire this year due to an appearance in an unsanctioned legends tournament
Peter Siddle will be free to play for Melbourne Stars next summer after serving a six-month ban following his participation in a ‘disapproved’ league earlier this year.
Siddle played five games in the World Legends Pro T20 League held in Goa in January-February, a competition for retired players that was not sanctioned by the BCCI – the sport’s governing body in India.
Reports emerged out of the UK this week that Siddle and former England spinner Samit Patel had been blocked from playing in the county T20 Blast tournament beginning next month due to their involvement in “disapproved cricket”.
Siddle, who is currently lining up alongside Steve Smith at Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, was then due to head to Nottinghamshire for the entire Blast campaign where he would play under Stars’ BBL head coach Peter Moores.
It would have been the veteran right-armer’s second stint with the Trent Bridge-based club having previously appeared for Notts in the County Championship 12 years ago.
“We’re naturally disappointed that Peter won’t be able to join us this summer, as we were looking forward to having a player of his calibre and experience as part of our T20 squad,” said Mick Newell, Notts director of cricket.
International Cricket Council regulations state a player who is involved in any disapproved cricket should not be permitted to participate in “approved cricket for a minimum of six months thereafter”.
Disapproved cricket constitutes a match or event not sanctioned by a national cricket federation (such as Cricket Australia), or the ICC for matches staged outside the territory of ICC members.
Siddle’s ban, enforced by the ECB, expires six months from his last game in the World Legends Pro League on February 2 this year.
Siddle retired from international cricket in 2019 and the Big Bash League starts in December, 10 months after his last unsanctioned match.
The 41-year-old also retired from first-class cricket last year but has showed no signs of slowing down in the T20 format, signing a fresh one-year extension with the Stars in January to play on in KFC BBL|16.
Siddle has been a standout for the Stars since joining the club in the past two seasons, regularly hitting speeds above 140kph and taking 28 wickets at an average of 20.
He’s also been in fine form in the ongoing PSL season to sit equal fourth on the tournament wickets tally with 12 in nine matches, including 3-39 in his last match.
Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Callum Ferguson and Ben Cutting were the other Australians to play in the 10-day legends event in Goa but all four no longer play professionally in Australia.
