Siddle sidelined with mystery back issue

Veteran seam bowler Peter Siddle's stint with Somerset has been thrown into doubt by a back injury.

The former Australia international is due to stay in Taunton until "at least the end of August" after signing a one-season deal as an overseas player.

But he has been ruled out for the "next few fixtures" in the 50-over one-day tournament.

Somerset have five more one-day cup matches this month, and the option to negotiate for the extension of stays for Siddle and fellow Aussie import Matthew Renshaw.

The club is currently sitting winless at the foot of the one-day cup table after three games, while in division one of the County Championship they are ninth and locked in a battle to avoid relegation with four matches to be played in September.

Siddle, 37, won the last of his 67 Test caps three years ago but has continued to ply his trade in domestic cricket at home and abroad, with Tasmania and the Adelaide Strikers in Australia, and had a successful stint with Essex in 2021.

He has taken 27 wickets in eight County Championship matches for Somerset this winter and claimed another 17 wickets during their T20 Blast campaign that took them to the competition's finals day.

He played his part in Sunday's one-day cup defeat by Gloucestershire on Sunday, taking 1-41 from eight overs and hitting 29 with the bat, but has now been sidelined.

"Peter has been managing a lower back complaint over the past few weeks with no significant improvement," said Somerset's head of science and medicine, Jamie Thorpe.

"We now feel that it is appropriate for him to undertake a scan in order for us to obtain complete clarity of the complaint and to ensure that we can put in place an appropriate management plan."

It's the second significant injury to beset Tasmania's pace stocks this winter, with Riley Meredith unable to take up a deal at the Hundred after injuring his hamstring on the eve of the tournament. Meredith is expected to be fit for the start of the Aussie summer, and his place at London Spirit was taken by fellow Tasmania bowler Nathan Ellis. 

Australians in 2022 County Championship

Derbyshire: Hilton Cartwright, Hayden Kerr

Durham: Nic Maddinson

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