Former Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle will not join Essex this 2020 season after the county practised some cost-cutting measures.
Peter Siddle joins the long list of foreign players whose contract had been cancelled or postponed for county cricket. As most county cricket clubs observe some cost-cutting measures, Siddle’s contract had been deferred by Essex until 2021.
As per Essex Cricket chief executive Derek Bowden, Siddle was supposed to arrive in the UK last week but they had instead made the decision to defer his contract to 2021 instead. Bowden also stated that they are currently reviewing the situation which concerns the safety of their other overseas players. Aside from that, he thanked Siddle and his management for the understanding and they hoped to see him next year.
Meanwhile, Siddle says, ‘It's a shame I won't be returning to Chelmsford this year as I was really looking forward to the season with the Eagles, but there are plenty of things more important than cricket going on in the world at the moment. In light of the current situation, it makes sense for me to come back over for the 2021 season when hopefully we're back to normal and playing cricket again’.
Siddle has played for the Essex Eagles for the last two years where he had respectively picked up 37 and 34 wickets in the 2018 and 2019 County Championships. The Essex County Cricket Club actively plays for the T20 Blast League. To know more about this cricket league, check out Betwala.
READ MORE: What is the T20 Blast League?
