Former Australia seamer Peter Siddle has agreed to join Durham as a replacement for his injured compatriot Scott Boland
Evergreen Siddle replaces injured Boland at Durham
Injured seamer Scott Boland's stint in the County Championship has come to an abrupt end with the news that he will be replaced by Victorian compatriot Peter Siddle.
Boland, 35, was Durham's marquee overseas signing but managed just 13 wicketless overs on debut in the season opener against Warwickshire before breaking down with a foot injury.
The club moved swiftly to draft a like-for-like replacement in the shape of 39-year-old Siddle, who will be available for the next six County Championship games.
The veteran played 67 Tests for Australia claiming 221 wickets and was a regular Ashes adversary for England, taking a memorable hat-trick at the start of the 2010-11 series.
It will be Siddle's fourth county side, with the paceman boasting a strong track record in county cricket with Somerset, Essex and Lancashire, taking 152 first-class wickets on the UK domestic scene.
Durham's director of cricket, Marcus North said: "It was important we acted quickly to replace Scott Boland and we have done that with the addition of Peter Siddle for the County Championship.
"It is very disappointing to lose Scott after just one game and we wish him all the best in his recovery.
"We look forward to welcoming Pete to Durham and watching him play a key part in our success on the field in the coming weeks."
Mitch Marsh meanwhile has also been ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League season, having returned home to Perth two weeks ago with a hamstring complaint.
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said on Monday that while the allrounder's IPL is over, his availability for the T20 World Cup in June doesn't appear to be in doubt.
"I don't think he'll be coming back," Ponting said.
"There's a certain cut off point with replacement players. Cricket Australia were keen to have him at home to start his recovery process and we sent him back as soon as we could.
"They've been managing his rehab for a couple of weeks now. I spoke to him the other day and it seems it's taken a little longer than he first thought to get over it. I don't think the T20 World Cup would be an issue."
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