Ryan Sidebottom

As far as revivals go, few can rival Ryan Sidebottom’s. In 2001, aged 23, left-handed Siddy got his maiden England call-up as an all-rounder against Pakistan. After failing to impress with both bat and ball in an innings victory for England, Sidebottom was dropped. Years passed and it seemed junior Sidebottom’s story would be similar to father Arnie’s, who too was dropped after his solitary England outing.

After continually dominating the domestic stage, first for Yorkshire (1997-2003) and then Nottinghamshire (2004-present), Sidebottom’s 6-year hiatus ended when recalled to replace an injured Matthew Hoggard in England’s 2007 Caribbean tour. Given better opportunities with the ball, long-haired Sidebottom’s clinical style resembled that of Sri Lankan ace Chaminda Vaas. In his comeback, Sidebottom took 8 Windies scalps in a record victory for England. He went onto replicate his domestic form in tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand by 2009; he had already established a place in the England line-up, taking fifers in as many as 5 occasions. His 6-49 against the Kiwis at Hamilton included a Test hat-trick, only the 37th player to do so.

In 2010, Sidebottom played all 7 matches in England’s T20 World Cup victory and retired from international cricket post that. However, he continued to play domestic cricket and in 2012, was included in Yorkshire’s T20 squad for the Champions League T20.