Sidebottom denied his Headingley swansong
END OF THE ROAD?: INJURY SIDELINES YORKSHIRE LEGEND
RYAN SIDEBOTTOM has been denied one last Headingley hurrah after injury ruled him out of Yorkshire’s final home game of the season.
The former England pace bowler, who retires this month at the age of 39, will miss the match against Warwickshire that starts today due to a strained quad muscle.
Sidebottom is rated 50-50 for the last game of the season against Essex at Chelmsford, where he would be guaranteed an emotional send-off.
Sidebottom suffered the injury in a moment that summed him up to a tee, the player giving everything for the cause as he dived to save one run on the boundary during last week’s match against Surrey at The Oval.
Yorkshire had been optimistic that Sidebottom would be fit to play in front of his home crowd for one last time as the club seek a win that would significantly ease their relegation fears.
But a planned fitness test yesterday did not go ahead, leaving both player and club unsure as to whether he has already played his final game.
“The biggest disappointment is that Ryan is not able to play in such an important match,” commented Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon.
“Take out the fact that it would have been his last game at Headingley, it’s clearly a very important game for us.
“Obviously, it kind of heightens the blow really that it would have been Ryan’s swansong at Headingley. It’s disappointing, but it would have been too much of a risk (to play him).”
Sidebottom was assessed yesterday by Yorkshire physiotherapist Kunwar Bansil and the decision taken to scrap the fitness test.
“When the physio saw him in the morning, it was decided not to even risk bowling him in the morning,” said Moxon. “The plan now is to see how he is for the rest of the week. Ryan just stretched his thigh in making that fantastic stop on the boundary, and it’s just one of those things.
“We’ll keep an open mind on next week, but we’re certainly not ruling him out of Chelmsford.”