Cricket: Lunchtime lift sparks Sidebottom into life

Mar 23 2008 icWales

ENGLAND seamer Ryan Sidebottom took inspiration from a lunch-time inquest into the team’s dismal performance to spark a dramatic turnaround in fortunes just as the deciding Test appeared to be slipping away.

The Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer has enjoyed a superb first year as an international regular and entered this match with 45 victims from his 11 Tests since being recalled by coach Peter Moores last summer.

But he saved his best display for when England were on the verge of conceding a major first innings deficit and facing the prospect of returning home next week having suffered their third successive series defeat.

Dismissed for 253 early on the second day after they resumed on 240 for seven, England’s prospects of winning their first overseas Test series since beating South Africa in 2004-5 seemed bleak when New Zealand progressed to 103 for one shortly after lunch.

It prompted a dressing room meeting, firstly with Moores and then with bowling coach Ottis Gibson, and Sidebottom responded with a career-best haul of seven for 47 to dismiss New Zealand for 168.

By the close the tourists had extended their lead to 176 runs by reaching 91 for two.

“At lunch we were really disappointed so we all had a get-together and told each other that we needed to pull our fingers out because the match was slipping away so early in the Test,” revealed Sidebottom, who bowled unchanged in a 13-over spell between lunch and tea.

“You don’t expect it to go quite so well but I think we pulled together as a team.

“Peter Moores had a few words and the bowlers sat down together and talked about the fact we needed to do something.

“We sat together in a three and Peter Moores spoke to us for a couple of minutes and then Ottis came over and we talked about the need to do something.”

Galvanised by the discussion, Sidebottom struck just three overs after the interval with Stephen Fleming driving lazily outside off-stump and giving Paul Collingwood a comfortable catch at second slip.

Having removed Fleming, who had been particularly dangerous before lunch in racing to his half-century off only 53 balls with James Anderson conceding 45 off his last three overs, it was a time for a change of tactics inspired by India in England last summer.

Captain Michael Vaughan had noticed how well opener Jamie How was leaving the ball and suggested Sidebottom changed the angle and came around the wicket – a successful tactic for left-armers RP Singh and Zaheer Khan against England last summer.

It worked superbly with How giving a catch to Andrew Strauss at first slip and Mathew Sinclair mis-timing an attempted pull to mid-on as New Zealand’s collapse gained pace.

“I’ve not really bowled around the wicket so to get a couple of wickets like that was especially pleasing,” said Sidebottom, who is due to get married to fiancee Kate shortly after their return next week.

“It was quite new to see RP Singh and Zaheer Khan doing it and there’s no reason as a left-armer myself I can’t do it. It’s something I’ve never really done in my career so I probably need to work on a little bit more.

“It’s a change of angle, a change of position and not a lot of batsmen see a left-armer coming around the wicket so it’s something new to them.”

Stuart Broad, brought into the attack at the other end, maintained the pressure with a tight line and length and picked up three wickets but it was Sidebottom who once again enjoyed the limelight in taking his series tally to 23.

It is a record haul for an England bowler in New Zealand, beating Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick’s record of 20 on the previous two tours, and continues his staggering list of achievements since returning to the England fold.

“When he gets his tail up like that he’s quite hard to stop,” revealed How, who battled for over two hours for his 44.

“We’re aware of that, we’ve seen it all series, and we should have played him a lot better than we did today.

“He swings it but his main weapon is that he comes in all day at you.”

New Zealand lost their last nine wickets for just 65 runs in 25 overs and ensured England were batting for the second time in the day shortly after tea.

Once again they suffered a difficult start with captain Michael Vaughan continuing his struggles by edging Chris Martin behind to the fifth ball.

Alastair Cook also fell before the close after making an enterprising 37, caught behind pushing forward to off-spinner Jeetan Patel.

But even that late setback could not take the shine off another stunning Sidebottom display.