Cricket365

Sidebottom Can Teach Stu A Thing Or Two

Friday 9th May 2008

England must hope Stuart Broad continues to learn from the example set for him by his county colleague Ryan Sidebottom.

The latter finished with five for 55 on the second day of Nottinghamshire's LV County Championship Division One match against Kent at Trent Bridge - while Broad's learning curve continued with figures of one for 71.

The lesson long digested by Sidebottom is how to adapt once a ball stops swinging.

He had taken three wickets in 19 balls as Kent stumbled to a hapless five for four on Wednesday night. But he had to earn his final two scalps in much less favourable conditions as Yasir Arafat (67) and Ryan McLaren (57) each bagged half-centuries in a total of 238.

Nottinghamshire coach Mick Newell had no problem making allowances for 21-year-old Broad, as he assessed two bowlers who played significant parts in England's winter Test series win over New Zealand.

"They're not at equal stages of their careers by any means," he explained.

Newell rates Sidebottom the equal, if in a different style, of Andrew Flintoff among England bowlers.

Flintoff also proved his prowess with the ball again yesterday, finishing with second-innings figures of three for seven against Durham at Old Trafford.

"Those two [Sidebottom and Flintoff] and are head and shoulders (above the rest), and Stuart's a learning bowler who is obviously developing very well," said Newell.

"Stuart bowls more 'four' balls - but he also has the ability to bowl some magic balls.

"That is part of what you get with him - a mixture, not the control yet that you have with someone like Ryan who has been playing eight years longer."

Newell sensed from early yesterday it was going to be more of a struggle for his bowlers - but by the end, with 106 for two on the board in Notts' second innings and Matt Wood on an unbeaten 50, the coach was satisfied.

"From the word go, it didn't do as much as on Wednesday," he said.

"Certainly after lunch, you wouldn't expect a team to get from 70 for six to that score.

"We were disappointed to give away a deficit, but we stuck at it.

"It's 50-50 now. That last session was important for us - not losing too many wickets.

"If we can get another 200 runs or so, it will be interesting."

In other matches, Hampshire notched up a big first-innings lead against Somerset at Taunton, making 359 all out in response to 194.

But Marcus Trescothick (62no) was involved in two solid partnerships to leave the hosts on 159 for one and fighting hard to stay in contention.

In Division Two, former England one-day batsman Jonathan Trott hit a restrained 104 for Warwickshire against Derbyshire at Derby.

His knock, included just 36 in boundaries, lasted 200 balls and helped the Bears establish a 40-run lead despite the best efforts of Tom Lungley (four for 70).

Derbyshire were forced to face two awkward overs before the close but finished the day on four without loss.

Elsewhere, 16 wickets fell at Chelmsford on an eventful second day between Essex and Middlesex.

Resuming on 263 for seven, the Middlesex innings was terminated for 302, Ryan ten Doeschate picking taking his wicket tally to four.

Essex then subsided from 125 for two to 207 all out, with 20-year-old seamer Danny Evans weighing in with a destructive six for 35.

Tom Westley (60) and Jason Gallian (56) had provided the batting side with solid foundations but the lower order had no answer to Evans.

But the wickets continued to fall after the changeover, South African strike bowler Andre Nel taking three for eight in his five-over stint in the evening session.

That included England's Andrew Strauss, for 12, leaving Middlesex on 19 for three and the result up for grabs.