When a series of stress fractures ended Ryan Sidebottom's hopes of pursuing a future Victoria, he feared his hopes of perusing a career as a professional cricketer were over. Sidebottom, one of five brothers from Tallygaroopna (a couple of hours north of Melbourne), made his first-class debut as a tall seamer with decent pace against a strong Hobart side towards the end of the 2013-14 season. He did well enough to earn another contract but struggled to adjust to the workload required of a professional seamer and suffered a succession of injuries to his feet and ankles that ruined his hopes of progression. It looked, for a while, as if that might prove to be the only first-class match of his career.

Instead, aged 27, he utilised his UK passport - courtesy of his mother, who came from Cullompton in Devon - and signed for Berkswell in the Birmingham League for the 2017 season. He impressed immediately and, given a trial in Warwickshire's second team, claimed three five-wicket hauls in five matches (including 8 for 33 against Durham) to win a chance in a struggling Warwickshire team that was entering a transitional period and slipping towards promotion. His Warwickshire debut came at Lord's and he claimed six wickets in the match as they won their only Championship match of the season. Five more games saw him finish as the club's third-highest wicket-taker in the campaign (he took 23 in those six games at a cost of 22.17 apiece), win a contract for the 2018 season and spawn a host of 'There are only two Ryan Sidebottoms' headlines.

He is the brother of Collingwood AFL footballer Steele Sidebottom and, away from the game, has worked as a sales representative with a sports uniform company. .
George Dobell