Ryan Sidebottom underlined why he’s a player Nottinghamshire are keen to keep by destroying the Warwickshire batting card with a dominant display that helped secure a two day LV= County Championship victory.
Sidebottom is considering a new contract offer at Trent Bridge as interest from other counties intensifies but Nottinghamshire’s standing at the top of the table can only have a positive influence on the impending decision of where his future lies.
He took 5-35 in the second innings including a run of four wickets in 15 balls as Notts successfully took 20 wickets in three sessions.
Forced to follow-on after registering a first innings total of 121, the fragility of Warwickshire’s batting was laid bare as Notts went on to secure victory by an innings and 55 runs.
Swing and seam movement enabled Sidebottom, Andre Adams and Paul Franks to cash in although Darren Pattinson couldn’t make a breakthrough. Adams began the innings with eight consecutive maidens to Franks’s six as Nottinghamshire opened a 24-point lead at the top of the table.
Sidebottom proved to be Tim Ambrose’s nemesis as he induced him to edge to Chris Read and trapped him lbw to send him back to the pavilion without scoring twice in the day.
Notts will face a much sterner test when Lancashire visit Trent Bridge next week but will take great confidence from the platform they established with three-quarters of their four-day campaign behind them.
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