Bushrangers gain Siddle for Shield

Australia's decision to select Josh Hazlewood is Victoria's gain with veteran fast bowler Peter Siddle to play for his state in the Sheffield Shield this week.

Siddle was omitted for the first Commonwealth Bank Test of the summer against New Zealand at the Gabba, and will fly to Sydney for the Bushrangers' Shield clash against the NSW Blues at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting Friday.

Siddle was Australia's standout bowler in the last Test of the Ashes at The Oval in August, taking six wickets in his first match in the Baggy Green for eight months in the comprehensive innings and 46-runs consolation victory.  

WATCH: Siddle takes six in Test return

NSW seamer Hazlewood, refreshed from a break away from the game and firing with a five-wicket haul in last week's Shield round, will replace the 30-year-old in the XI.

Siddle and tearaway teammate James Pattinson were omitted from Victoria's 12-man squad to take on the Blues – the latter rested due to a heavy early-season workload, but now Siddle returns to a near full-strength Bushrangers outfit.

Former Blues fast bowler Chris Tremain and Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch were initially called into the group to cover the Dandenong duo.

Finch forced his selection off the back of a career-best 288no for the Cricket Australia XI against the Black Caps in Blacktown in a three-day tour match which was abandoned four sessions in after the pitch was deemed unfit for first-class cricket. 

WATCH: Finch blasts 288no

Finch and rival Blues top-order batsman Ryan Carters combined for a record-breaking opening stand of 503 – the highest in first-class cricket in this country.

Victoria will come up against a NSW side ravaged by national duty and injury, with the Blues naming a squad which has seven changes from the side that thumped the West End Redbacks under lights last week.

Steve Smith, David Warner, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Hazlewood will all feature in the first Test in Brisbane, while quick Sean Abbott has been ruled out with a calf injury.

Debutant wicketkeeper Jay Lenton is among the new faces for NSW. Lenton, who has played eight games for the Blues in Futures League during the past four seasons, will be the 737th player to represent NSW at first class level.

The 25-year-old former Central Coast junior forces his way into the side off the back of three first grade centuries for Manly this season, averaging almost 130 with the bat.

Quicks Gurinder Sandhu and Josh Lalor join Doug Bollinger as part of a new-look pace attack, while off-spinner Will Somerville replaces Lyon in the 12-man squad.

Middle order batsmen Ben Rohrer and Kurtis Patterson have also been recalled.

Victoria squad: Matthew Wade (captain), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Dan Christian, Travis Dean, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Glenn Maxwell, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Tremain.

NSW squad: Moises Henriques (captain), Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Ed Cowan, Josh Lalor, Jay Lenton, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Will Somerville.