Peter Siddle, one of the most beloved Australian cricketers, announces retirement

Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle announced retirement from international cricket on Sunday.

One of the most beloved cricketers of the current Aussie era, Siddle broke the news in front of his teammates at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) before the Day three of the ongoing Boxing Day Test started.

Australia currently is playing New Zealand and Siddle was a part of the squad before he was ignored for the final XI. While he played 20 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), he was a Test specialist having made 67 appearances in the Baggy Green. In his career, which has spanned over a decade, Siddle claimed a tally of 241 international wickets including 221 in Tests, 17 in ODIs and three in the shortest format of the game.

Siddle announced the news in an emotional press conference on Sunday where he admitted that he wanted to play another edition of the Ashes before calling it quits and he got the opportunity in England earlier this year where the Australians retained the Urn by drawing the series 2-2. Out of the five Tests, Siddle played at Birmingham, the Lord's and the Oval. Having bowled in six innings in the Ashes, Siddle picked up as many as seven scalps.

"It's always hard to know when the right time is. The Ashes was the main goal, to try and get on that touring party and be a part of that series. Once I'd ticked that off, I was talking to 'Painey' (captain Tim Paine) and JL – I thought I could have done it there, but the chance of getting one last crack if it came in Australia, (have one more Test) at home would have been nice.

To think as a young kid I wouldn't get a chance to play, I'm obviously very happy and a bit sad," Siddle told the media at the MCG.

Siddle, however, has decided to continue playing domestic cricket for Victoria, Adelaide Strikers and English county side Essex.

"I'm still going to play cricket for Victoria, still going to go over and play county cricket for Essex, I love playing cricket. So I'm going to keep playing for as long as I can.

I'm enjoying myself, I love the Big Bash, and to have games like the other night (against Melbourne Stars) is pretty weird – I'd told JL the day before that I was done, and the relief of being able to go out with no pressure on my shoulders probably helped," the 35-year-old fast bowler added.

Siddle made his international debut in a Test against India at Mohali in 2008. The opponent side back then includes superstars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Siddle ensured he would always remember his debut when Tendulkar became his first-ever wicket in the Australian jersey.

It took a while before he recorded another glorious moment in his career. Arguably the most memorable moment in his career happened during the first day of the Gabba Test in 2010-11 series when he bagged a hat-trick, co-incidentally it was also his 26th birthday.