Ryan Sidebottom on his Return to Yorkshire, the World Cup, and the Slow Death of 50-over Cricket

On the other side of the world, specifically the sub-continent, the ICC World Cup is in full swing.� England are in the midst of yet another major tournament having left these shores for the Ashes tour to Australia over three months ago.

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One man who knows all about the lifestyle of an international cricketer is former England bowler and Twenty20 World Cup winner Ryan Sidebottom.� Having retired from the international scene in September last year, the 33-year old is looking forward to the comparatively low-key world of the county scene.

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The Yorkshire bowler, who took 29 wickets in 25 ODI’s in his five years with England, has re-signed with his boy-hood club for this season after spending the last seven with Nottinghamshire and England.�

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Although, by his own admission, Sidebottom may be in the twilight years of his career, he is clearly looking forward to the start of the new county season, which gets underway at the start of April.

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“I was hoping for a longer break having spent five years with England,” joked the 2008 Wisden Cricketer of the Year.� “But pre-season training started in November, which has gone really well, and I’m fit, ready and raring to go.”

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An encouraging pre-season is just what Sidebottom would’ve wanted given his frustrations with injuries over the years.� Having made his international debut in 2001 against Pakistan, he was banished back to county cricket after a luckless match at Lords and injuries prevented a more immediate return.

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14-years after making his first-class debut for the county, Sidebottom is back at Yorkshire and is confident his club can improve on last season’s third place finish in the County Championship.

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“There is a lot of young talent in the team,” the man affectionately known as ‘Sexual Chocolate’ said.� “The club did well last season and we are hoping to go one better with the set of players we’ve got.�

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“From what I’ve seen so far, there is a good team spirit.� I think it’s important to have that banter in a squad but also be able to give each other a telling off when it’s not going well,” Sidebottom added.

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Giving players a “telling off” is something Sidebottom is not uncomfortable with.� England captain Andrew Strauss once joked: “The curses that he lets go when someone drops a catch are comical…if they are not directed at you.”

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The 2008 England Player of the Year is not one to hand out an unnecessary rollicking though and is hoping to use his experience and role as a senior figure to good use.

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“Hopefully I can pass on some of my knowledge to the younger lads as well as have a good season myself,” he commented.

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“We’ve got a number of young players including Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Steve Patterson, who is a bit more experienced and bowled fantastically well last season.

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“Then there are some good, young, ever improving cricketers like Joe Root and also the guys away with England, Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad,” he added.

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Talk of England naturally moves the conversation on to Tim Bresnan.� Since his selection for the 2009/10 Bangladesh tour, Bresnan has become a key member of the England attack and Sidebottom has nothing but praise for his fellow Yorkshireman and colleague.

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“It could be argued that he has become England’s go-to man,” he said. “He’s very consistent and you always know what you are getting from him.”

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Bresnan’s spell against India, where his three wickets in four balls sparked a dramatic fight-back and eventual draw for England, gave the critics of 50-over cricket something to think about.

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For Sidebottom, a cricketer who has flourished in the one-day game, the 50-over format still has a lot to offer:

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“I know that 50-over cricket has come under a bit of scrutiny with regards to people saying it’s dying because of Test cricket and the emergence of Twenty20.

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“From a bowler’s perspective, everything is catered to the batsmen now.� People want to see fours and sixes.� There’s not much hiding place for a bowler with all these different powerplays and fielding restrictions.

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“I know Twenty20 is entertaining but I don’t think you can scrap one-day cricket totally,” he added.� “Maybe 40-over cricket could be something to look at but at this moment in time, with the World Cup being a great tournament, long may it continue.”

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When pressed to pick a winner of the World Cup, Sidebottom was optimistic on England’s chances but believes it’s South Africa’s to lose.

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“It’s going to be very even,” he stated. “For England, it’s all about putting it together as a team to be able to win tournaments as we did in the Tewnty20 World Cup.� Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy will need to play a big part as the wickets get a bit older and there’s a bit of wear and tear.

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“Everyone says South Africa bottle it in big tournaments but they look the team to beat,” Sidebottom concluded.� “In Imran Tahir they have a leg spinner who doesn’t bowl a bad ball, their all-round team is very balanced and if they play well then they will probably be the team that everyone needs to defeat.”

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After the team’s humiliating defeat to Ireland where the bowlers again failed to deliver, England fans everywhere will be wishing Sidebottom had delayed his decision to call it a day by just a few more months.

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