PERTH – Australian paceman Peter Siddle said on Saturday that England had played batsman Michael Hussey back into form during the Ashes series by bowling too short to him.
The left-handed Hussey all but put the third Test out of reach of the tourists with a crisp 116, his second century of the series, as Australia closed in on an Ashes-levelling win at the WACA Ground in Perth. On the verge of being axed before the first Test, Hussey is now the top scorer in the series with 517 runs at 103.40 and his hundred here made him the first player in Ashes history to reach 50 in six consecutive innings.
Siddle, who targeted English wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Prior on the second day with a barrage of bouncers that ended with him claiming the right-hander’s wicket, said it was vital to pick the right target. He said England also bowled too short to Hussey in the first Test, when he made a career-saving 195. “Mike Hussey is probably not a player you want to bowl short to,” Siddle said.
“He showed that again today, same as he did in Brisbane when they attacked him with it and again here today. You have choose your batsman and the players you want to do it against.” But England seamer Chris Tremlett, who picked up 5-87 in the second innings to cap a successful recall that has netted eight wickets, backed the plan.
“We went with that to (Steven) Smith, that was one of the plans and we got him out with that tactic,” he said. “We tried it with Hussey, it didn’t work for him so well, he played it well.
