Forgotten Australian cricketer Peter Siddle believes he can return a more rounded paceman when he begins bowling again in the nets next week.
Siddle, 25, broke down with back stress fractures in February but hopes to be fully fit in time to represent Victoria in the Indian Champions Twenty20 League in September and push his claims for the home Ashes campaign next summer.
He could not be considered for next month's two Test series against Pakistan in England but could yet play a role in a Test series in India in October if that campaign is a late addition to the Future Tours Program.
Siddle's recovery has been aided by working with Carlton Football Club fitness guru Justin Cordy, who held a similar role with the Australian cricket team before joining the AFL club.
Siddle, who claimed 20 wickets at 30 in Australia's losing Ashes campaign in England last year, will step up his comeback in the nets with the Bushrangers next week.
"Probably the body over the last few years it wasn't in the shape that I would have liked and which probably needs to be required to play Test cricket," Siddle said at the MCG on Wednesday.
"If you look at Mitchell Johnson and the shape he is in, he has performed well for three years straight. He has been the only one up until now injury free. Credit to him and the way he got his body ready."
"That's something that I have worked hard on over the last few months. Hopefully I have done enough right."
Siddle, now a veteran of 17 Tests, said he had tinkered with his action but maintaining fitness would be the key to ensuring there was no relapse of the stress fractures.
"There has been a little bit that I have had to change but mainly the biggest thing was when I got tired bowling those 20 to 25 overs in a day, the action changed slightly," he said.
"It's just a matter of maintaining the strength and condition more than anything in those latter periods of the day."
Siddle has been primarily used as a grunt bowler by Australian captain Ricky Ponting, with his ability to extract bounce by banging the ball into the deck his main strength.
When he does return, Siddle believes he will have a greater arsenal to baffle batsmen.
"As a fast bowler, you are always trying to work on some new trick, or something that you can add to your game," he said.
"For me, it's a little bit of swing and a few different things for Twenty20 cricket. It will be something that I will work on once I get back into the bowling phase of things and start getting back out into the nets again and try and progress into something new so when I come back I have that added extra."
Siddle was at the MCG on Wednesday to help launch ticket sales for next summer's Ashes series.
Australians have been urged to register for free with the Australian Cricket Family to get priority tickets.