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Can Sidebottom deliver this time?
Ted Corbett
| Flintoff ruled out due to injury; West Indies fields unchanged side |
SPECIAL SELECTION: England will be hoping that left-arm seamer, Ryan Sidebottom, with his knowledge about the local conditions can do the trick for it in the second Test.
LEEDS: Ryan Sidebottom goes home to Headingley where he will attempt to turn the knowledge he gained in seven years as a Yorkshire cricketer into an England win.
When he made his only other Test appearance for his country seven years ago he simply did not look the part of a fast left arm bowler who could bowl out a national side. He failed to take a wicket against Pakistan and the eagle-eyed suggested that he fell away in his action.
Those cricket people who still live in the 19th century — and, believe me there are plenty — had another idea. If only he would have a conventional haircut they said he would bowl much better. Sidebottom has such a mass of reddish hair that he finds it difficult to wear a helmet and arrives on the field looking as if he is about to play in a pop group.
Proving his ability
Now he has to prove his ability to bring the ball back from outside the off stump is greater than his skill on an eight-string guitar. A man who has watched him play for Nottinghamshire often in the last four years thinks he will. "He is a fine bowler now with control, an understanding of his own bowling and able to find a batsman's weakness. England has several times in the past picked a special bowler for that strange pitch at Headingley and that is what they hope for from Sidebottom."
Big Sidebottom, 6ft 5in, nearly 15st even without his mop of curls, says, "Everyone wants to play for England and I am no different. I have worked hard at my game and I hope I can show myself up in the right light. I am thrilled because I had no idea this chance was coming."
Andrew Flintoff, still not fully fit after injuring his ankle again, has already been dropped but will play in the third Test; the only choice remains between James Anderson who missed out at Lord's and Sidebottom. Anderson will be unlucky again unless the selectors have a rush of blood and leave Panesar to carry drinks as he almost did at Lord's.
A more confident side
West Indies, a more confident side after the rain came to its rescue in the first Test, is likely to encourage the players who made 437 in reply to England's 553, and who responded bravely to five centuries, will be unchanged.
Leeds is the oddest ground and completely different from the snakepit day so detested by those southern English batsmen who used to go there every year grumbling about being forced to play in alien conditions. Since the huge new Western Stand was built the pitch has played in a more orthodox way but there are still moments when it behaves as if some malign force had struck.
The change in the pitch does not always follow the arrival of a patch of cloud but if anyone can understand the mysteries of Headingley it is Sidebottom. If he happens to be bowling when the phenomenon occurs England will surely be able to force the win that eluded them at Lord's.
The teams: England (from): Michael Vaughan (captain), Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matthew Prior, Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett, Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.
West Indies: Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore.
Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa) and Asad Rauf (Pakistan). Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia). TV umpire: Richard Kettlebrough.
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