Australia's Peter Siddle announces retirement from international cricket
Melbourne: Veteran Australian bowler Peter Siddle announced his international retirement Sunday after a 67-Test career, with national coach Justin Langer praising him as giving his "heart and soul" to the team.
The 35-year-old had been called up to the second Test squad in Melbourne but was not selected in the side to face New Zealand and decided to call it quits.
"Just being able to play, to walk out, wear the baggy green -- I'd watched guys like Punter (Ricky Ponting), Steve Waugh, guys like that wear it, represent Australia," he said.
"Every time I stepped out was amazing, I don't think I could pick one special one.
"At the end of the day, to play one is amazing, to end up playing what I did is truly special."
Siddle, who played a key role in helping Australia retain the Ashes in England earlier this year, went to the Australian dressing room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to tell his teammates personally.
"The year after I retired from playing, Matty Hayden and Ricky Ponting were raving about this guy called Peter Siddle," Langer said. "If it came from them, you knew it was right and so it proved throughout his brilliant international career.
"He is an unbelievable bloke and an extremely good cricketer. He is the everything of what a team player is. He has given his heart and soul to the Australian team and the game of cricket."
Siddle took 221 wickets from his 67 Tests including eight five-wicket hauls.
He is the 13th highest Test wicket-taker among Australian bowlers and is best remembered for the hat-trick he claimed on his 26th birthday against England in Brisbane in 2010.
He also played 20 one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.
Siddle will continue to play at domestic level, including for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League and Victoria in the Sheffield Shield.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
