Masterful display of bowling by ‘maestro’ well-timed

But put a cricket ball into Ryan Sidebottom’s left hand and he retains the ability to do things that most younger men can only dream of, the old maestro showing all his experience and expertise yesterday to take 7-44, the second-best figures of his glittering career.

At 36, Sidebottom is the polar opposite of a spring chicken – more of a winter chicken, you might say. His hairstyle – all long dark curls that retain the sweat of toil on hot days such as this – adds to the impression of a veteran performer.

But in a week in which much of the talk has been about the failure of England’s pace bowlers to exploit helpful conditions against India at Lord’s, how ironic that Sidebottom should give a masterclass in how to use them at North Marine Road.

Almost four years since he retired from international cricket, the pace bowler can still look a different class to the rest, his wickets here the product of a full and disciplined line and length that gave the ball the best chance to swing.

Without Sidebottom, who narrowly failed to surpass his career-best 7-37 against Somerset at Headingley in 2011, Yorkshire would have been in the mire against Middlesex.

As it was, he near single-handed dismissed them for 232 in reply to 253, Yorkshire closing on 29-1 to take a 50-run lead into day three.

The 25th five-wicket haul of Sidebottom’s career, his fourth at Scarborough and his first of the season arrived after Yorkshire lost their last four first innings wickets in 55 minutes at the start of the day.

Heavy overnight rain had delayed the start by half-an-hour, and Yorkshire had added 23 in six overs when Adil Rashid fended a vicious bouncer from Steven Finn into the hands of Dawid Malan at second slip in the second over with the second new ball.

In front of a 2,800 crowd, Steve Patterson strode out at No 9 and promptly cut Finn magnificently to the foot of the popular bank as though he was the great Len Hutton.

But it was his only scoring shot as he departed lbw to pace bowler Tim Murtagh.

Sidebottom followed when he clipped Murtagh to mid-wicket and the innings ended when Tim Bresnan uppercut to third man, Yorkshire losing their last seven wickets for 49 runs in 18.4 overs going back to day one.

Sidebottom then got busy with the ball from the Peasholm Park end, having Chris Rogers caught behind for a duck.

The wicket was celebrated with great gusto by the fielders, who had been on the wrong end of Rogers’s flashing blade in April when his unbeaten 241 helped Middlesex knock off 472 at Lord’s – the third-highest Championship chase.

Middlesex lost their second wicket on the stroke of lunch when Patterson had Nick Gubbins lbw.

Sidebottom was magnificent in the period just after the break, reducing the visitors to 11-4 when he had Eoin Morgan caught behind and Paul Stirling held by Kane Williamson at third slip.

It might have been 11-5 as, in the over before Stirling’s departure, Bairstow dropped Malan on seven off Jack Brooks.

It was a regulation chance to the wicketkeeper, and Steve Garratt, the umpire, actually raised his finger only to withdraw it like a child who thought he knew the answer to a teacher’s question in class only to realise that he did not.

The drop was costly, Yorkshire failing to take a wicket for 43 overs before Sidebottom had Malan caught at second slip for 78 to end a fifth-wicket stand of 168 with wicketkeeper John Simpson.

Malan and Simpson played well, rode their luck on occasions and feasted on some indifferent bowling at times, given the conditions.

Malan hit some fine cover drives, while Simpson took a particular liking to leg-spinner Rashid, plonking him over long-on into the Trafalgar Square end and sweeping his next ball for four.

Simpson went to a hundred, the fourth of his career, from 140 balls, moments before Sidebottom had Ollie Rayner lbw in the first over of his third spell – and his only one from the Trafalgar Square end.

Sidebottom struck again in his next over, Toby Roland-Jones brilliantly caught by Lyth at second slip, before Simpson was eighth out at 219, run-out from deep extra-cover by Adil Rashid’s throw to Bairstow as he attempted a second run off Bresnan.

Sidebottom claimed his seventh scalp when Murtagh drove to third slip, where Williamson parried the ball, Lyth winning the race with fellow slip Alex Lees to snaffle the chance.

Rashid rounded things off by having Finn caught at cover by Williamson.

Lyth went cheaply in Yorkshire’s reply, caught in the second slip position where his own performance yesterday was excellent

But Lees and Williamson battled through to stumps, building on the advantage that Sidebottom had given the hosts.