Sidebottom returning to Trent Bridge with ‘nothing to prove’

Yorkshire had Nottinghamshire on the rack when the teams met at Headingley Carnegie a fortnight ago – only to succumb to an incredible defeat.

Nottinghamshire recovered from minus 26-6 in their second innings to win by 58 runs – arguably the greatest escape at Headingley since the Botham/Willis turnaround against Australia in 1981.

But Sidebottom believes Yorkshire showed enough in that game to prove they can compete with the best as they attempt to hit back following two defeats in their opening three Championship matches.

“We’ve got nothing to fear when we play Notts this week,” said Sidebottom, who had seven seasons at Trent Bridge before returning to Yorkshire during the winter.

“We dominated them for two days and can take a lot of encouragement from the way we played.

“Obviously the end result was not what we wanted, but that’s the way it goes sometimes and you’ve got to credit Notts for an excellent fightback.

“We’ve played some good cricket in both the Championship matches we’ve lost (against Nottinghamshire and Durham) only for a couple of sessions to get away from us.”

Following victory in their opening game of the season at Worcestershire (inspired in no small measure by Sidebottom’s career-best 61 in the Yorkshire first innings), Yorkshire have lost four successive fixtures in all competitions.

It has provided a reality check for a club who finished third in last year’s Championship and reached the CB40 semi-finals, but Sidebottom stressed it was still early days.

“We haven’t become a bad side overnight,” he added.

“We’re just not playing to our potential at the moment but things can soon change.

“This is another big game for us and it’s vitally important that we start the match well.

“We’ve just got to keep plugging away and we’re very confident we can turn things around.”

Yorkshire’s revenge mission at Trent Bridge will have added spice for Sidebottom, who played an important role in Nottinghamshire’s title triumphs of 2005 and 2010.

The former England left-arm seam bowler hopes to receive a positive reaction from the East Midlands public.

“I’d like to think I’ll get a good round of applause from the Nottinghamshire supporters for what I did during my time there,” he added.

“I had seven wonderful years at Nottinghamshire – it’s a great club and they’ve got a fantastic set of lads.

“But I’m back at Yorkshire now and very excited about what we can achieve.

“I certainly don’t feel as if I’ve got anything to prove this week, but it would be nice to take a few wickets against my old team.”

This year’s Championship race looks wide open but Nottinghamshire have already laid down a marker.

Chris Read’s men have won three out of three despite not hitting top gear by any means.

“Notts have found a way to win games and they’ve got a good balance in their side,” added Sidebottom, who admitted he had never played in a match quite like the one between the clubs at Headingley.

“They’ve got experienced bowlers and the ability to pull matches out of the bag.

“They fight hard and they showed that with the partnership between Chris Read and Steven Mullaney against us the other week, which turned the match around.

“They bat all the way down and we will need to play very well to beat them.”

Sidebottom, 33, has been one of the few successes of Yorkshire’s season so far.

He has taken 21 wickets in Yorkshire’s opening five games in all competitions and also chipped in with the bat.

“It’s gone well for me so far,” reflected Sidebottom, who took four wickets in each innings against Nottinghamshire at Headingley.

“I feel it’s important that I stand up and perform and help show the way.

“If I keep bowling well, hopefully some of the younger lads will be able to pick up a few things and jump on the bandwagon so to speak.

“At the same time, I’ve got to keep it going and make sure I keep performing well.”

Yorkshire are set to make three changes to the side beaten by Nottinghamshire at Headingley.

Anthony McGrath – who missed Monday’s CB40 defeat to Derbyshire – is struggling with sciatica, so Joe Sayers is likely to return to the four-day team after being dropped after the opening fixture at Worcester.

Sayers is likely to open with Adam Lyth, with Joe Root slotting in at No 3.

Steve Patterson is also in line for a recall after replacing Oliver Hannon-Dalby in the squad.

There is no place in the 12-man squad for left-arm spinner David Wainwright, who played in the fixture at Headingley, but pace bowler Moin Ashraf is included in the party.