Steyn, Sidebottom

From Cricinfo:


Over the last 12 months, of pace bowlers, only South Africa's Dale Steyn has
taken more wickets (78) than Sidebottom, whose entire career total of 63 has
come in that time. (His debut Test back in 2001 was fruitless.) Steyn and
Sidebottom will, fitness permitting, come head to head in six weeks' time or
so, when South Africa play a four-Test series in England. It is a contest to
decide global pace bowling's pre-eminent exponent. Brett Lee might just
consider himself in the mix as well.


Even to think of Sidebottom as worthy of consideration is to undergo some
severe head-shaking and skin-pinching. This is a man who, as previously
mentioned, has been told on more than one occasion that he's not up to it. His
selection in 2001 scarred his image to a point where he became something of a
joke figure, an emblem of a failed domestic system that produced only
trundlers ill-equipped to deal with the rigours of international cricket.


Sidebottom has the capacity to bowl properly quick now, in the same 90mph
bracket as Steyn, and he has the rat-like cunning and variations that every
successful bowler must have in these bat-friendly times. He has developed the
crucial nip-backer to the right-hander and he has learned how to bowl round
the wicket, having observed RP Singh in England last year. He might also like
to know, if he doesn't already, that Singh has got Mike Hussey four times -
one to store in the memory bank for the 2009 Ashes.


It is still early days for Sidebottom. He has had success against West Indies
and New Zealand, the two weakest batting line-ups in the world apart from
Bangladesh. Against India and Sri Lanka he took 13 wickets at 48, though he
did have five catches dropped by the wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, in those two
series. Steyn has laid waste to every line-up he has come across. Yes, he has
cashed in against Bangladesh but also against India and Pakistan. He has never
played a Test in England but then he has a tidy attack to back him up.
Sidebottom is part of a green England attack that, as Ross Taylor showed at
Old Trafford, is fragile when their plans are undermined. Taylor flayed three
sixes of Sidebottom.


Steyn is the man to beat in the global pace bowling stakes right now, but
Sidebottom, as a rare breed, has the chance to write his name in history.
Australia's Davidson took 186 Test wickets and he is the third greatest
left-arm pace bowler in Test history. Sidebottom is a third of the way there
already and, as a later starter, is still approaching his peak at 30. He'll
never be Wasim, or Chaminda, but he could be the next best thing.