Rivalry Week: Pietersen v Siddle

The rivalry

It became a familiar sight during the many Ashes battles played between 2009 and 2014; as soon as Kevin Pietersen walked to the crease, Peter Siddle would come on to bowl. Pietersen dominated some of the best bowlers to have played the game during his decorated career, but it was Siddle's nagging line and length that proved his downfall on a regular basis in Ashes Tests. Along with Pakistan spin whiz Saeed Ajmal, Siddle removed Pietersen 10 times in 17 Tests (one in every three innings) and their battles made for an intriguing sub-plot in four consecutive Ashes campaigns.

The numbers

Matches played: 17 (17 Tests)
Times Siddle dismissed Pietersen: 10
Runs scored by Pietersen: 1195 (two centuries, seven fifties)

When Pietersen beat Siddle

One of Pietersen's most memorable Test innings, and one of England's best in Ashes history, was sparked by his nemesis Siddle. Midway through day two of the second Test during England's memorable Ashes tour of 2010-11, Pietersen walked to the middle of the Adelaide Oval with his side in a strong position but the match still in the balance. There Pietersen would stay until he was finally dismissed 24 hours later with 227 to his name after an extraordinary knock that started when Siddle employed a strong leg-side field and attempted to lure the right-hander into a loose hook shot. It was a challenge Pietersen, who later conceded his mind was scrambled when he walked out to bat having spent hours waiting nervously as the next man in while England's top order dominated, accepted with glee. "(I thought) I'm not just going to let you dictate terms and bowl bouncers at me," Pietersen wrote in his 2015 autobiography. "I'm going to try and crack you for six every single ball. There's only going to be one winner here, and I'm not backing down. So I smashed him for a couple of fours, a confrontation that got me in the zone, and I kept on going."

When Siddle beat Pietersen

Four years on from Pietersen's stunning double-ton, he met Siddle again in the middle of the Adelaide Oval - but the outcome was very different. Having twice been out to loose shots in the first Test, one caught at mid-wicket and one at fine leg, Pietersen's arrival at the crease unsurprisingly triggered a bowling change, with Siddle replacing a rampant Mitchell Johnson. And just two-and-a-half overs into his spell, Pietersen advanced at the Australian and inexplicably clipped a catch straight to one of two men purposely stationed in close at mid-wicket, a replica of his dismissal in the first innings of the first Test. Siddle would remove Pietersen twice more in the series, one to a loose pull shot that was well caught at mid-on, before the tour was over.

What they said

"When you've got a guy running in at 130-135 (km/h) and the other guys are running in at 140-145, you start thinking 'I can drive that ball' ... and you don't probably show him the respect he deserves. He's a good bowler and probably on occasions I just lost a bit of concentration thinking I had to get after Sidds. It was my fault, but he's a very good bowler." - Pietersen on Siddle