Even though Victoria coach Chris Rogers and captain Will Sutherland have asked him many times to keep playing, Peter Siddle has decided that this is the end of his time in first-class cricket.  The former Australian fast bowler, who has been scaring batters for almost 20 years, has quit red-ball cricket for good.

Siddle played 67 Tests for Australia and retired from international cricket in 2019. He continued to rule domestic cricket with his lightning-fast speed.  However, his amazing run in first-class cricket is now over.

In 2005, Siddle played his first first-class match in Melbourne against the visiting West Indies. His journey came to an end at the famous WACA ground in Perth, almost 20 years later.  231 first-class games and 792 wickets—say a lot about how great he was.

Over the past eight years, only Michael Kasprowicz (959 wickets) has taken more first-class wickets for Australia than Siddle.  He finished with 332 wickets in the Sheffield Shield, which put him in the top 15 all-time wicket-takers in the event.

If there was ever a perfect script for saying goodbye, Siddle wrote it.  In his last first-class match, which was against Western Australia, he took seven wickets in both innings.  He ended the game in style by getting a wicket with his last ball, giving Victoria a 34-run win.

Even though he was 40 years old, Siddle bowled as hard as he did when he was younger.  This season, he hit 148 km/h and was one of the most effective pacers across all forms. He took 24 wickets in 5 Sheffield Shield games, 12 wickets in the Big Bash League (BBL) at an economy rate of less than 8, and 17 wickets in 8 List A games, which was the most in the tournament. He also got his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket this season, showing how good he is in all types of cricket.

Siddle is different from many other pacers because he has been around for a long time.  Most fast bowlers lose their edge after age 35, but Siddle was still a force even after age 40.

Victoria coach Chris Rogers, who played alongside Siddle for Australia, paid him a heartfelt tribute: “I feel like trying to re-sign him but he assures us he's done. What a career. In our quick chat (after the game), Marcus Harris said he's a great of Australian cricket and he actually is. There's not too many of them going around.”

“To be involved in his last game is something pretty special and to see him get some runs this morning, get the first wicket in his first over and then get the last wicket, I don't think you can write that script, so I'm really happy for him.”

Siddle is no longer playing first-class cricket, but he's not done yet.  After this season, he will play one more season in the Big Bash League (BBL). Next season, he might be the bowling coach for Victoria.

He played for his country and took 221 wickets in 67 Tests. This included 8 five-wicket hauls and a famous birthday hat-trick in the Ashes.  He only played a few white-ball games for Australia (20 ODIs and 2 T20Is), but he will always be known as one of their most dedicated red-ball warriors.