(KEN PIESSE is a senior sportswriter who has covered cricket for more than 35 years.)

Look out England! Peter Siddle is back to his intimidating best and thirsting for fresh opportunities to flatten the Ashes champions.

On the eve of England's arrival in Perth, Siddle's six wicket match haul against Tasmania was a huge positive for Australian cricket and captain Ricky Ponting, who rates Siddle ahead of Mitchell Johnson, as his "go to" man.

Siddle also broke the hand of Tasmania's Steve Cazzulino, the young opener saying Siddle's pace was "seriously out there".

"He's going to ruffle a few feathers in the English camp," Cazzulino said.

Bowling with increasing rhythm and in the high 140 km/h zone, Siddle has been nursed back into big cricket after succumbing to stress fracture damage to his back last February.

"I'm getting their slowly," he said before joining five Victorian teammates on the flight to Perth for Sunday's international against Sri Lanka.

"There's still a little bit of time left before I have to get it right."

Siddle's outstanding season start sees him in prime contention to join Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus as Australia's three frontline seam bowlers for the opening Test in Brisbane in three weeks.

News that Doug Bollinger will not be able to resume for a further fortnight almost certainly rules him out of contention to be in the starting XI.

‘I want to play a bit more cricket, get up and going and I'll be right to go," said Siddle.

Teammate Rob Quiney who made Victoria's only century of the just concluded Shield match, said Siddle's increasingly confident demeanour "is good news for us (Victoria) and bad news for anyone he goes in against."

"He's at you all the time. There's never a moment to rest. His pace is right back up there and having worked with Damien Wright (Victoria's new bowling coach) in recent months, he's starting to move the ball too. It makes for a great package."

A fully-fit Siddle took 20 wickets in five Ashes Tests in 2009, but only 11 in five home Tests against the West Indies and Pakistan last Australian summer before being sidelined.

"I've missed not playing for Australia and being a part of it all again," he said. "Once you are there, you want to stay there."