Wheel of fortune turns for Sidebottom
There are many ways of getting what you want in life but is the perfect example of hard work and a large amount of patience paying off.
He takes his place in this England Test squad here in Sri Lanka almost as likely to picked in the team as anyone else.
It's been a sharp turn around in fortunes, but about time too.
I have followed his progress since his youngest days with Yorkshire when he was called 'Junior' by some of the elder team-mates, being the son of Arnie.
At times he can look very moody when playing, frustrated when he fails to get the wickets he wants after delivering balls from which he feels deserve better.
Yet off the field he is without fault, always polite with seemingly very little edge to him.
It's a temperament which so far has proved excellent and he has now been given a second chance to perform in international cricket.
The first sign of him possessing a good big match mentality came in a Cup game around nine years ago in Cardiff.
Some local university students came along to Sophia Gardens and gave him some terrible grief about his hair.
Without being showy he not only took it very well but joined in to a sensible level and topped it off by promptly tearing in and taking wickets.
The students were all on their feet and clapping him.
Yorkshire know they made a huge mistake in letting Ryan move to Nottinghamshire but for him it was a great move, and who knows? Maybe to leave was essential in his development.
He is without doubt a vital part of the set-up at Trent Bridge and was an integral part of their
For several reasons this England squad has a real fresh look to it.
One or two of those faces reflect the coach Peter Moores. Ryan is one of them, along with Phil Mustard - steely enough, with a no-nonsense attitude but comfortable about their work and how to improve.
The early net session in Colombo have had a feel of relaxed concentration.
England can afford it, perhaps with the first Test not until 1 December.
But, as Ryan himself pointed out, the warm-up matches are crucial to many if they want to get picked for Kandy.
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My late wife, no great cricket fan, loved watching Ryan precisely because of his long hair!
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He is a guy with lots of bowling talent specially is inswinger and outwinger are really perfect and I think his seam bowling will do good in the pitches of srilanka.He can be a great opening bowling pair with hoggard and be a lethal one.Let's hope that his bowilng will draw more response and talking than his hair.Best of luck form my side.
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Ryan is surely the most in form bowler over our last few tests??? the term corridor of uncertainty- prime example for Sidebottom. Especially when bowling against right handers.
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Sidebottom is not good enough to be a member of the test side in my opinion. He is not capable of producing those match winning performances at the highest level. Pairing him with Hoggard would not work, unless the conditions were similar to headingley on a cloudy day, due to the overly similar styles in their bowling. His lack of pace will be exploited on the slow picthes of Sri Lanka. The bowlers should be Hoggard, Harmison, Monty, Swann with Colly, Bopara, Pietersen and Vaughan as backup for the main seamers and spinners.
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Is Sids a bit heavy. He huffed and puffed in the one day series and they were only day night games
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Sidebottom has been consistently impressive in the last few months, Harmison and Hoggard have been consistently injured.
I would go with Sidebottom, Anderson and Hoggard with Monty providing the spin option and the refreshed Michael Vaughan on second spinner duties. Anderson is consistently in the 90mph bracket, Sidebottom is a good left arm option for variety and Hoggard is just plain consistent. On sluggish pitches, the ability to swing the ball in the air and bowl a nagging line is more important than getting bounce off the dead pitch
Added to that they are all capable of taking on large worklaods which will be vital in those sapping conditions.
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Sidebottom is well worth his place in the test squad.The worst possible blow to team morale,however,is the arrival of the over rated and obviously over valued Stephen Harmison.This is a cricketer who just hasn't got his heart in the right place,something which he has blatantly demonstrated over the past two years.During that time his test form has been poor,and yet was still awarded a central contract.Nothing short of a disgrace, when there are far more harder working and more conscientious bowlers who deserve to be given a similar opportunity.I sincerely hope that Sidebottom,along with,Broad,Anderson and Hoggard are given first preference when the test side is announced,and that Harmison remains a drinks carrier albeit an expensive one !
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Having watched Ryan at Notts for the last few seasons, it's really difficult to fault him and especially his attitude and commitment. Like every bowler some days are better than others but he never ever stops trying. This extends beyond his bowling and I've seen him chase lost causes down to the boundary and get them just before the boundary ... many others would have given up long before. He deserves his chance (though Notts will miss him badly) and has so far proved more than worthy of a place.
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I only came across this blog today. I'd just like to add, that it's wonderful to see him in the team. Hoggard was always the 'work horse', but he's got someone to shoulder the burden with him now. The pair of them are truly a joy to watch!
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