Flashback: The only bowler to take a hat trick on his birthday

By the time Peter Siddle found his way into the Ashes 2010-11 Australian squad, there were some who were doubting whether the Victorian pacer would be able to deliver the job or not. When he was named in the starting XI for the opening Test at the Gabba in Brisbane ahead of Doug Bollinger, there were a few eyebrows raised.

When the first Ashes Test started on November 25, 2010, Siddle had not played a Test for ten months due to injury. Yet, he was trusted by captain Ricky Ponting ahead of Bollinger, who did fairly well until that point. But, on the very first day of the Test, Siddle bowled a magical spell that justified his selection.

Bowling first on a fresh Gabba surface, the fast-bowler got into action early in the day dismissing Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood. But at one point, England reached 197 for 4 and Siddle was brought back into the attack. He dismissed Alastair Cook and Matt Prior on successive balls, to stand a chance for a hat-trick. Stuart Broad, the next batsman in was a capable player.

However, Siddle, at his best, fired a yorker on the middle-leg stump. Broad was beaten on pace and failed to get a slight nudge from his bat as the ball crashed on his pads in front of the stumps. The umpire raised his finger but Broad reviewed the decision of leg before wicket. It came out to be adjudged out from the third umpire as well. Meanwhile, Siddle became the first cricketer to take a hat-trick on his birthday. The Victorian went on to pick up another wicket later in the innings to record a six-wicket haul on his 26th birthday. He almost got the seventh wicket, but wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, unfortunately, failed to hold on to the catch.

Siddle ended with figures of 6 for 54 from his 16 overs as Australia bowled out England for just 260 runs. The match ended in a draw and Australia went on to lose the series 3-1. However, Siddle’s spell in that first Test still remains a memorable Ashes moment. The veteran of 67 Tests had a career full of ups and downs but was renowned for his ability to come back. He retired from international cricket with 221 Test wickets at 30.66. He also picked up 17 wickets from 20 ODIs and three from his two T20Is.