Nottinghamshire want Sidebottom decision

Ryan Sidebottom has been given until August to decide whether he wants to remain a Nottinghamshire player. His contract with the club expires at the end of the season and they have received an official approach from at least one other county interested in signing him.

Sidebottom is currently a centrally contracted player, but if he loses his 12-month ECB deal - which is a strong possibility as he has faded from the Test scene - then he will come with a hefty price tag. However, at 32 he should still have some good seasons of county cricket in him even if his England days are numbered.

"It may be that his England career is coming to an end and this may be his last major contract as a player, so it's important to him and we understand that," Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire coach, told the Nottingham Post. "But we would like to have the issue resolved in early August because it can have a knock-on effect. We obviously need to know where we stand."

Sidebottom is part of a strong unit of pace bowlers at Trent Bridge which includes Darren Pattinson, Andre Adams, Luke Fletcher, Charlie Shreck and Andy Carter. Stuart Broad, who rarely appears for the county, is set to face Warwickshire in the County Championship this week along with Graeme Swann as they prepare for the Test series against Pakistan.

Sidebottom is the latest big-name England cricketer to be considering a county switch at the end of the season. Kevin Pietersen has already said he will be leaving Hampshire, probably for either Middlesex or Surrey, while Eoin Morgan is being chased by Warwickshire.