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Somerset duo standout among Aussie county contingent

As the County Championship enters its mid-season break find out how the Aussies have fared in the first seven rounds and who will line-up in the T20 Blast

Australian pair Peter Siddle and Matthew Renshaw have been standout performers for Somerset across the first seven rounds of the County Championship but it's former South Australian seamer Daniel Worrall's new club Surrey that heads into the mid-season T20 break on top of division one.

Veteran paceman Siddle has slotted nicely into Somerset's attack after moving from Essex during the off-season, teaming up with England bowlers Craig Overton and Jack Leach, but it hasn't been enough to lift their side out of the bottom half of the table after their first six matches.

The 37-year-old, who recently signed a one-year contract extension with Tasmania, is inside the top 10 wicket takers in division one so far with 20 at 17.8, with his haul of 4-80 in their last match against Hampshire bettered only by his 6-51 against ladder-leaders Surrey at The Oval.

Renshaw, who has returned to opening the batting after a couple of seasons in the middle-order for Queensland, scored a superb century Warwickshire, which he backed up with 94 in their next match against Gloucestershire.

The 26-year-old continued the form from the Australian summer that resulted in him being named as a standby batter for the Pakistan Test tour, with his 371 runs at 46 in five matches an ideal lead into the Australia A tour of Sri Lanka next month.

Image Id: 95FD43A9DB0449E0A9A750513C7BD143 Image Caption: Siddle and Renshaw combine to dismiss England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes // Getty

His likely opening partner for that tour, Marcus Harris, has bounced back from being dropped from the Test side to be the top Aussie run-scorer in division one.

The left-hander has hit two centuries – 136 against Yorkshire and 124 against Surrey to go with his half century against a James Anderson led-Lancashire attack – in his 434 runs at 48.

"I'd love to leave this county season having made four or five hundreds by the time I come home," Harris said recently.

"By being over here and playing, and then going to Sri Lanka in a couple of weeks and having played a lot of cricket by the time the Ashes rolls around next year, hopefully I'll be front of mind for selection."

Fellow Victorian James Pattinson has also started the season well for Nottinghamshire with 16 wickets in four matches in a new ball partnership with England veteran Stuart Broad.

World No.1 Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has had an up and down season so far with Glamorgan, scoring 130 and 85 against Derbyshire but failing to reach fifty in three of his five matches.

Image Id: 59006815CCB74BD491E5C31639997689 Image Caption: Labuschagne celebrates after taking the wicket of Ben Stokes // Getty

But he has claimed 10 wickets at 28 bowling a mixture of medium pace and leg spin – which included the prized scalp of new England captain Ben Stokes in their clash with Durham – to go with his 377 runs at 41.

Glamorgan and Queensland teammate Michael Neser is the sixth most prolific bowler in division two with 20 wickets at 22, scoring a half century in their last fixture against Durham to go with his match figures of 6-93.

Another Bulls teammate, Mark Steketee, collected 10 wickets for Essex in division one but was a touch expensive in his four matches before an ankle injury ruled him out of the final fixture of his county stint before the T20 break and Australia A duties.

Another Aussie heading home for the A tour is Middlesex captain Peter Handscomb who won't be returning after the mid-season break with his first child due in August.

After starting with a duck, the 31-year-old had been steadily improving, scoring 79, 48 and 39no in his final three games this season but had struggled to replicate the form that had him top the run-scoring chart in the Sheffield Shield last season with 697 at 49.78 for Victoria.

South Australian quick Nathan McAndrew missed the first three matches for Warwickshire with visa issues delaying his arrival and after conceding 0-100 in his first match of the season, he has responded with 11 wickets in his next three matches.

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West Australian seamer Matt Kelly has been solid in his maiden county stint, taking eight wickets for Northamptonshire as well as performing the nightwatchman's role, and scored a match-saving 42 in his opening game of the season against Yorkshire.

Veteran Tassie paceman Jackson Bird took three wickets and made 53 not out for Kent before a shoulder injury cut his six-game county stint short after three matches.

Australian-born Worrall has seven wickets in his first season as an English domestic player for Surrey, while former Victorian allrounder Ian Holland has 195 runs and six wickets for Hampshire, who sit second in division one behind Surrey.

Former WA seamer Michael Hogan also has 19 wickets opening the bowling with Neser at Glamorgan.

Big Bash free agent Chris Lynn headlines Australia's 16-player contingent to have signed T20 Blast deals with counties with England's domestic competition set to get underway on Thursday morning Australian eastern time when Yorkshire face Worcestershire and Kent take on Somerset.

Siddle won't feature for Somerset tonight after playing five of their opening six four-day matches, while Josh Philippe will play in Sussex's opening four fixtures before the Australia A tour and then return for the end of the tournament in late June.

Veteran T20 journeyman Dan Christian will be out for his 10th title with Notts, while million-dollar IPL recruit Tim David will suit up for Lancashire after finishing his Mumbai Indians stint with a strike rate of 216.

Australians in 2022 English T20 Blast

Birmingham: Nathan McAndrew

Derbyshire: Hayden Kerr

Durham: Ashton Turner

Essex: Daniel Sams

Glamorgan: Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser

Gloucestershire: Marcus Harris

Hampshire: Nathan Ellis, Ben McDermott

Lancashire: Tim David

Middlesex: Jason Behrendorff, Chris Green

Northamptonshire: Matthew Kelly, Chris Lynn

Nottinghamshire: Dan Christian, James Pattinson

Somerset: Peter Siddle

Sussex: Josh Philippe

Australians in 2022 County Championship

Essex: Mark Steketee

Glamorgan: Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser

Gloucestershire: Marcus Harris

Middlesex: Peter Handscomb

Northamptonshire: Matt Kelly

Nottinghamshire: James Pattinson

Somerset: Matt Renshaw, Peter Siddle

Warwickshire: Nathan McAndrew

Get the full rundown of Australians playing county cricket in 2022