What a weekend for English sport! First, our rugby team confound the critics and dumbfound the Aussies, then our cricketers take the lead in a one-day series in Sri Lanka.

At the heart of both performances has been the nation’s sporting essence of belligerence, graft and grind. For the cricketers, no-one has exemplified this more then England’s very own no-nonsense Yorkshireman, Ryan Sidebottom.

He returned to the one-day side to lead the bowling attack with potency, variety and a certain simplicity. In doing so, England leave the heartless pitch at Dambulla for Colombo with a series win in sight. Head coach Peter Moores, bristling with confidence and clichés, has for the first time signalled that progress from the previous regime is being made.

‘ ... years of demanding flashy fast bowlers have thankfully been proved wrong. So the Sajid Mahmoods and Liam Plunketts of the world gave way to Sidebottom’s rather more quaint virtues.’

Whilst Duncan Fletcher’s understanding of batting was perhaps unrivalled, his years of demanding flashy fast bowlers have thankfully been proved wrong. So the Sajid Mahmoods and Liam Plunketts of this world gave way to Sidebottom’s rather more quaint virtues. Buried in an immense shock of hair, which betrays his indifference for modern fads, is a sturdy bowling brain, a sturdy body and a sturdy action. These simple traits proved beyond England’s younger speedsters. By cluttering their minds with 50 different slower balls, heady plans of bouncers and yorkers and an obsession with crossing 90mph, they failed to bowl the ball straight and failed to hold their bodies together.

Though Sidebottom did pick up an injury in the final Test last summer, he has returned unaffected. Despite his success over the summer an Indian spectator was not alone when he shouted, “Hey Ryan, let’s see you swing it on a sunny day!” Many feared that a flat pitch and clear skies would expose the limits of his medium-fast bowling. The man himself, though, remained characteristically nonchalant – “Someone like Chaminda Vaas has taken a lot of wickets for Sri Lanka and shown that you do not have to be able steam in and bowl at 90mph to be a quality international bowler on those types of pitches,” Sidebottom said before the start of the current series.

And his own performances have put any worries to bed. He has demonstrated the nous, control and variety to thrive in any conditions. In his last outing he was again the pick of the fast bowlers, uprooting Upal Tharanga with a perfect off-cutter to get England rolling before he again removed Sanath Jayasuriya, this time with a carefully formulated short ball.