Ryan Sidebottom: Australian fast bowler leaves after five years with Warwickshire

Ryan Sidebottom's first wicket in first-class cricket in England was at Lord's on his Bears debut against reigning champions Middlesex in August 2017

Australian fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom is leaving Warwickshire after five years at Edgbaston.

The 33-year-old Bears right-arm paceman made an immediate impact after arriving in the Midlands to play for Berkswell in the Birmingham League.

After being handed his chance by the Bears, he took 23 wickets in six matches to earn a one-year contract - and he then took a further 25 in 2018.

But he missed almost the whole of the 2019 summer with a shoulder injury.

And, after the Covid-interrupted 2020 season, injuries have not helped him to win back his place.

Sidebottom, who made two appearances in the Bears' 2021 title-winning team, is heading back to Australia in the short term, but is still hopeful of earning another contract with an English county.

He was loaned out to Derbyshire in April but returned to Warwickshire to make his final Bears appearance in the penultimate game of the season - the defeat by Gloucestershire at Bristol, a week prior to their amazing escape from relegation.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity I've been given at Edgbaston," he said. "I will look back at my Bears career with great pride. Winning the County Championship will always be a career highlight."