When Ryan Sidebottom received his first England call-up in 2001, he must have thought his ship had come in. One wicketless test against Pakistan later, the man who stole Brian May's hair returned from duty and faced the stark realisation that he wouldn't pull on his country's jersey for a little while.
Little did he know it would be six years.
Fast forward to the present day and Siders has become an integral part of the England setup. Known to his fans as Mr. Reliable, he has taken regular wickets with his now-trademark inswingers and scrambled seam deliveries.
Currently ranked sixth in the ICC Test bowlers' rankings, Sidebottom has taken 53 test wickets and obtained 22 one-day dismissals.
On the whole, his career has flourished in recent years since his recall to the England side. Why, then, does he seem to flip his switch at the slightest inclination?
The home series with New Zealand has been a case in point. A grisly confrontation with Jamie How in the third test at Trent Bridge was met with disapproval from pundits and supporters alike.
Sidey gave the New Zealand youngster plenty of chat throughout his innings and, upon his dismissal of the Black Caps opener, the England swinger proceeded to scream like a scalded banshee in his face. Displaying the rage normally reserved for Primark customers at the January sales, Sidebottom seemed to cross the line between desire to win and aggressiveness.
The one-dayer at the Oval brought with it another flashpoint between "Sexual Chocolate" and the kiwis. A collision with Grant Elliot, which led to a contentious run-out, seemed to be avoidable. Naturally, he was going for the ball; but at the same time Sidebottom showed little empathy towards the New Zealander.
There can be no doubting that Ryan Sidebottom shows an extreme desire to win at all costs. He has incredible fighting spirit and a will to perform consistently and give his best for the side. At the same time, he seems to let his frustrations get the better of him, both with himself and with opponents.
Is it that his curls are wrapped just a little too tight? Is it years of schoolyard bullying for an unfortunate surname? Most likely it is the desperate desire to prove himself after more than half a decade in the international wilderness.
This anger, if directed properly, can prove to be match winning. If it is manifested in the wrong ways, the England bowler might have to face a Harbhajan Singh-type scandal of his own.
He must learn to keep a lid on his rage, or at least channel it in the right ways. Siders needs to be Mr. Consistent for years to come, not Mr. Angry from the popular children's books. I doubt little green hats suit him anyway.
7 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Salaar Arshad Shamsi about 1 year ago
Good piece..I don't know..He could say he was going for the ball but I watched it live and if you look at the replay,you could see his hands pushing towards Elliot..I'm not accusing Sidebottom of pushing Elliot which he probably did but I'm saying he could have pulled out of it..
Collingwood should have thought about it,long and hard..It wasn't a total split second decision..Elliot was getting treatment he had 4-5 minutes...to think it out..
England should know better..so much for the spirit of the game..it's win at all costs now..well covered,Jon..
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Jon Naylor about 1 year ago
I think that Collingwood coming out after to say he got it wrong went some way to repairing the damage. Vettori said he was willing to put it behind him too.
I agree that he probably should have taken himself out of the heat of the moment to decide, but with the pressure he's under I can see why made that decision.
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Nick Martin about 1 year ago
I think an awful lot more may have been made of this if in fact England had held their nerve and won the match. This isn't the first time that we have seen this side of Sidebottom, as you mention. All we have to do is look back to last year's series against India, when Matt Prior was dropping catches off his bowling on a regular basis, fair enough, something which would be rather infuriating, but he was getting a little over-egged with his own team mates.
As for spirit of the game, I really do believe that Stuart Broad is showing him up by miles at the moment, he had Styris dropped 3 times yesterday, albeit one was by himself, but you never see him glaring at the fielder or kicking his feet about. Ryan could learn a thing or two about temper from the young guy.
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Jon Naylor about 1 year ago
You're right; Broad's temperament seems to be shining through at the moment. He was even taking Luke Wright to one side and giving him advice during the final over.
Future captain material?
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Smash Legends about 1 year ago
Sidebottom should be ashamed - he should be made to face up to his indiscretions like other cricketers.
He gets wound up far too easily and it will get him in trouble sooner rather than later.
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Steven White about 1 year ago
Ryan Sidebottom has really started to annoy me in recent months, he should just shut up and get on with the game. Maybe he's angry because he's realised his ridiculous hair and girly voice combine to make him the most laughable member of the team.
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S Fong about 1 year ago
Technically, on SKy Sport 1, Collingwood never out right admitted he was wrong he said the words "probably" and "maybe" in the same minutes when he was supposedly apologising to the Black Caps.
I reckon if Sidebottom cut his hair; his temper would be under control.
Apparently your hair reflects your personality, hair out of control = emotions out of control.
Controlled hair = greater self control.
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