'Nice reward for all the hard work' – Siddle on comeback

The veteran pacer, who was recalled to the Australian side for the two-Test series in Pakistan, was their most economical bowler on Day 1 of the first Test at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 8 October. In the 15 overs he bowled, Siddle gave away just 23 runs and dismissed centurion Mohammad Hafeez.

The 33-year-old is pleased with his comeback and credits the years of hard work off the pitch for his return to the national side.

"I've always dreamed of playing for Australia again in the last few years, but I've concentrated on just performing wherever I played," said Siddle, who took 37 wickets in seven County Championship matches for Essex over the winter, after the day's play.

"Today was a nice reward for the time I've put in off the park and all the other teams I've played for in the last 18 months to get back out there and pull on the Baggy Green and walk out there with those three guys starting their journey.

"The first Test (back after a break) is always hard, you use up so much energy building up for that match, building up for that first leap," he explained. "Day one is usually the hardest because you're so hyped to get into it. To only go for [a few] runs at the back end of a day when a team is none down at tea, that's a tremendous effort from the whole group to be able to restrict them to that."

The visitors endured a tough start to the Test as Pakistan's openers put up 205 runs for the first wicket. While Hafeez made the most of his international callback with a century, Imam-ul-Haq, his opening partner, scored a 188-ball 76.

Australia seemed down and out in the first two sessions as Pakistan's openers remained strong. Tim Paine and Co. instituted a mini fightback after tea, though, with three wickets for 56 runs in the final session. Siddle – who made a delivery nip back sharply to trap Hafeez LBW – was thrilled by his team's late resurgence.

"It's always a tough challenge going over to the different Asian conditions and digging in with the heat, but the boys handled it really well – today was one of the cooler days we've had since we've been here," he reckoned. "It was well-toiled by us and you look at it at tea time, it could've been a lot worse … To get wickets along the way, it showed the hard work's paying off."

A sign of concern for Australia was seeing Mitchell Starc – who put up a disciplined bowling display – collapse with cramps in the last session Siddle, however, found it to be more comical than worrying and said that the pacer will be fine before the play unfolds on Day 2.

"It's always funny for the other blokes out on the field to see one of your teammates cramping up. He's feeling all right, just a little bit of cramp. He toiled hard," the 33-year-old said in praise of his fellow seamer. "He was cramping from about an hour out (from stumps), he was struggling. If we get a wicket late, especially if a tail-ender comes in, he's usually the man to get thrown the ball again.

"It was a great fight from him to finish off there and (he) got close but not close enough. He'll rest up tonight, he was fine coming off - just a little bit of cramp, which is always a good little laugh for the rest of the boys."