Courageous quick Peter Siddle says by the time he was dropped from Australia's Test side in South Africa in February, he was "shot" after a long hot summer which included five Ashes Tests.
Now he feels he's getting back to top pace again and his strength has improved after a revised training program in the off-season, plus a stint with English side Nottinghamshire.
But the heat will be back on Siddle in a big way if he's selected for Wednesday's first Test against Pakistan in Dubai, with a top of 35 degrees forecast.
Andy Bichel left the field hallucinating from the extreme heat in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, during Australia's 2002 series against Pakistan. The super-fit Bichel was placed on a drip.
Siddle isn't bothered by the challenges posed by the Arabian heat.
"You just do it," the 53-Test veteran told reporters on Monday.
"It is just a matter of going out there and you do anything you can.
"If it means bowling a seven-over spell you bowl a seven-over spell.
"You don't think about how you will feel body-wise.
"All the boys are prepared there will be some hard times and some hard work out there in the middle and some big partnerships that will take time to get wickets.
"You always have to be prepared to bowl a long (spell) that is for sure, no matter how hot it is."
Siddle is a contender to partner Mitchell Johnson as Australia consider picking allrounder Mitchell Marsh as a third seamer, plus spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe.
"It's always disappointing to miss a match but sometimes it's a blessing," Siddle said of his Test axing.
"It's probably helped me think about a few things I need to work on and change and get right.
"We were all pretty shot by then.
"It'd been a long while since I'd had a break and it took its toll.
"I'd trained too hard and that combined with the amount of cricket we were playing and the intensity we play at, it probably did affect me.
"It was showing in the last few games in the Ashes and once we got over there in South Africa.
"I'm back to where I want to be."
Injuries to pacemen Ryan Harris and James Pattinson have helped push Siddle back into Test calculations.
Told in February by coach Darren Lehmann to get his pace back to around the 140 km/h mark, Siddle says he found some rhythm in claiming match figures of 2-65 off 23 overs in last week's four-day game against Pakistan A in Sharjah.
"I have done plenty of bowling and that's where England comes into it," Siddle said.
"I played 11 first-class games in 90-odd days over there so the fitness side of things is no issue."
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