It’s official, Siddle is a Tassie Tiger at last

AUSTRALIAN cricket’s worst kept secret has been confirmed with former Australian quick Peter Siddle officially moving south to finish his first-class career.

Siddle, who retired from international cricket last summer having taken 221 wickets in 61 Tests, has officially joined Tasmania after 14 seasons with Victoria.

All-rounders James Faulkner and Simon Milenko are the biggest name casualties from the Tigers’ contract list, which includes former national one-day bowler Gurinder Sandhu.

Faulkner — who has battled ongoing knee problems for the past few seasons — is likely to remain in the frame for one-day cricket for Tasmania but will start the 2020-21 season without a contract.

Milenko has been a regular in the Tigers’ Sheffield Shield team since moving from Queensland four years ago, but has also been squeezed out.

The 31-year-old scored his maiden shield century in the final round before the BBL last December, and averages 27.1 with the bat and 30.7 with the ball in 29 domestic matches.

Sean Willis and Alex Bevilaqua have also been delisted, while George Bailey retired following the completion of the Big Bash.

“The most pleasing thing about our squad list heading into the coming season is continuity within the squad,” Tigers coach Adam Griffith said. “We have an excellent core group of senior players who lead the team very well, however the excitement now comes from the younger players who have been in the program for a number of years.”

There has also been a shake-up in the women’s list, with young gun Erin Fazackerley headlining four axings. Fazackerley, a hard-hitting opener and tall seamer, was picked for the Governor-General’s XI three years ago but has struggled with inconsistency in both the WNCL and WBBL competitions.