Tim Bresnan has staked a claim for a place in the England team for the second Ashes Test after impressing for the Performance Programme in Brisbane.
Bresnan is stepping up his fitness after recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back and impressed coach Ashley Giles as he took four wickets against a Queensland Second XI.
“Bresnan will return to the Test squad after the [Brisbane] game,”
Giles said. “To have someone like him available would be a big bonus for England.”
There have been suggestions that Bresnan could get the nod over Chris Tremlett in the second Test as the Adelaide pitch could favour the batsmen.
The 28-year-old will have benefited from the extra overs in Brisbane, but fellow seamers Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin will get a chance to shine when the senior side take on a Chairman’s XI in Alice Springs, starting on Friday.
The battle is also on for Jonathan Trott’s place in the side with Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance all set to play in the two-day match.
Stokes is looking favourite at this stage but says the match in Alice Springs will be crucial.
“Being an all-rounder does help me,” he said. “If I thought to myself that I wasn’t ready for it then I’d be taking a long hard look at myself.”
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