Somerset bowler Peter Siddle sidelined with hand injury

The former Australia international sustained the injury to his right hand while attempting to take a catch off his own bowling in the T20 Blast

Australian pacer Peter Siddle has been sidelined with a hand injury suffered during Somerset's T20 Blast clash against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

Siddle was attempting to take a catch off his own bowling when the injury to his right hand occurred. Somerset went on to lose the match by five runs.

The 38-year-old's absence will be a blow to Somerset, who currently sit top of the South Group in the T20 Blast and sixth in Division One of the County Championship.

This season, Siddle, whose contract runs until the end of July, has taken 16 wickets at 24.12 in five first-class outings and seven wickets with an economy of 9 in seven T20 Blast outings.

^{Siddle sustained the injury while trying to take a catch off his own bowling [Mike Hewitt/Getty Images]}

^{Siddle will be missed in both the T20 Blast and County Championship [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

No timeline has been placed on his return to action.

Jamie Thorpe, Somerset's head of science and medicine, said: "Following the incident, we removed Peter from the field of play so that he could be assessed by the medical team and treated for the obvious wound that he had sustained.

"He was seen by a specialist the next day and further investigations confirmed the presence of a finger fracture.

"Due to the nature of the injury, Peter will be unavailable for selection while he gives the fracture appropriate time to heal."

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