Tag Archives: bresnan

Tim Bresnan back to bowling in a fortnight after elbow operation

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Bresnan to get back in the swing of things in a fortnight after undergoing elbow operation

By
Mike Dawes

PUBLISHED:

19:53 GMT, 3 April 2013

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UPDATED:

19:54 GMT, 3 April 2013

On the comeback trail: Tim Bresnan

On the comeback trail: Tim Bresnan

England bowler Tim Bresnan will return to action in a fortnight following an operation on his right elbow.

The 28-year-old, who was named in a 30-man England squad for the summer season, underwent an operation in February and missed the tour of New Zealand.

The Yorkshireman is set to play in the three-day friendly against Lancashire at Headingley, which starts a week on Tuesday.

Bresnan said: ‘It would be wise to go into a friendly first up. I’m hoping to be fully fit and take a full part in that game and all the other games after that.’

England lose to Delhi in India warm-up match

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Bell century in vain as England slump to second consecutive ODI warm-up defeat

By
Mike Dickson

PUBLISHED:

15:03 GMT, 8 January 2013

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UPDATED:

15:58 GMT, 8 January 2013

An Ian Bell century was not enough as England slumped to a second warm-up defeat in three days ahead of Friday’s opening one-day international against India.

The tourists will head to Rajkot on Wednesday with plenty to think about, notably their failure to defend a formidable total of 294-4 against a Delhi team weaker than the India A side who overcame them at the weekend.

On another chill day, this time at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium where internationals are played, they could not stop the local select eleven overhauling them for the loss of four wickets with nine balls to spare.

Century boy: Bell scored a ton, but it wasn't enough to save England

Century boy: Bell scored a ton, but it wasn't enough to save England

While the batsmen did their job in the
watery afternoon sun, particularly Bell, who made light of the absence
of the rested Kevin Pietersen with a polished 108, the bowlers were
powerless to prevent their youthful opposition picking off the runs.

With Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad at home, new one-day coach Ashley Giles does not have too many options to turn things round before the end of the week, although Tim Bresnan sat this one out.

Certainly the attack looks short of leadership, with James Tredwell probably the pick and Steven Finn among those not having the happiest day.

Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat against a team featuring three players with full international experience on a day when temperatures mercifully crept over double figures.

Having sufficiently recovered from the heavy cold that kept him out of Sunday’s defeat, Cook looked fluent in making 44 before he was bowled when Sumit Narwal went round the wicket.

Bell looked slightly awkward at first but then accelerated gracefully, hitting a series of extravagant drives through the covers after advancing down the wicket. He should have been stumped on 60, but otherwise he added to Sunday’s 91 almost faultlessly, making his 108 in 125 balls with two sixes and 10 fours.

Rough start: New limited-overs head coach Giles is yet to savour victory

Rough start: New limited-overs head coach Giles is yet to savour victory

Eoin Morgan looked comfortable in making a near run-a-ball 52 and Craig Kieswetter added the late surge with 41 off 27 balls that finished with two consecutive sixes swiped over mid wicket.

Having overdone the bouncers under the new two-per-over rule at the weekend there was less of them yesterday and Finn was guilty over-pitching as India made a strong start that was only undone with the introduction of Tredwell.

Unmukt Chand, India’s Under 19 skipper and regarded as high quality prospect, had been going well for his 37 but then lamely chipped the Kent spinner to Cook at mid-on.

With captain Shikhar Darwan, owner of five one-day caps, heading towards a century, the home team went smoothly to 188 for two but two quick wickets halted their progress and suggested that England would get their first win of this tour.

When part-time spinner Joe Root trapped Darwan for an excellent 110 – Tredwell was convinced he had him caught behind just before he brought up a century with a six – Cook looked to have pulled off a masterstroke.

But the inexperienced Milind Kumar, 21, rebuilt the momentum of the innings to the point where 75 were needed off the last 10 overs, and he ended unbeaten on 78.

Picture dispute

We are unable to carry live pictures from the ODI Series in India due to a dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and international news organisations.

The BCCI has refused access to venues to established picture agencies Getty Images and Action Images and other Indian photographic agencies.

MailOnline consider this action to be a strike against press freedom and supports the action to boycott BCCI imagery.

India v England T20: Eoin Morgan relishing the mayhem ahead of Pune and Mumbai

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I will relish the 'mayhem', says stand-in skipper Morgan as England prepare for India's T20 assault

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UPDATED:

22:30 GMT, 19 December 2012

A bigger crowd than any that watched the Test series here will see an England side stripped of many of their leading players and without either of their head coaches embark on one last challenge of an overcrowded year.

This two-match Twenty20 series, bizarrely shoe-horned into the calendar now rather than before the 50-over matches next month, has the feel of two games too many for England, with team director Andy Flower joining the exodus of players who made a rapid departure from India once their Test business was complete in Nagpur on Monday.

Ashley Giles, the new limited-overs coach, will not begin until the one-day series in January so Richard Halsall, Flower’s assistant, takes charge here and in Mumbai on Saturday of a side without four of their leading short-form players in captain Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Steven Finn.

Up against it: A depleted England, led by Eoin Morgan, will take India on at the own game

Up against it: A depleted England, led by Eoin Morgan, will take India on at the own game

What’s left of England will face an India team who thrashed them in the last World Twenty20 by 90 runs, in front of an expected 50,000 at a new stadium which bears an uncanny resemblance to Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl, only bigger.

It is then a stiff task for England but one that stand-in captain Eoin Morgan, starved of any meaningful action on this tour, is relishing.

It is indeed a sign of the hectic times that a man who could not get a game in the Test series now finds himself catapulted into the short-form captaincy.

Watching brief

India (probable): Gambhir, Rahane, Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Raina, Yuvraj, Jadeja, Dhoni (capt and wkt), Ashwin, Dinda, Awana.

England (probable): Hales, Wright, Bairstow, Morgan (capt), Patel, Buttler (wkt), Bresnan, Tredwell, Meaker, Dernbach, Briggs.

Umpires: C Shansuddin, S Asnani (Ind).

TV umpire: V Kulkarni (Ind).

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ).

TV: LIVE on Sky Sports 1 from 1pm;
match starts at 1.30pm.

‘It’s a great opportunity for me against one of the best sides in the world in their backyard,’ said Morgan. ‘It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.

‘It’s going to be mayhem here and in Mumbai and performing under pressure is what the selectors want.’

Morgan, one of England’s most accomplished Twenty20 players, is one of the few in this squad with experience of the Indian Premier League even though he has not played at a stadium which will be staging its first international.

His advice to team-mates who will never have seen anything like this, not even at the Ageas Bowl, will be to keep it simple.

‘I think the biggest tip I got before I played in front of such big crowds was, “Just back yourself”,’ said Morgan. ‘The ball remains the same size, the field’s the same and they still have 11 players.’

One player who knows all about big Twenty20 crowds is Luke Wright, who forced himself back in the England team with his success in the IPL and, most particularly, Australia’s Big Bash. He has been playing for the Melbourne Stars in the last couple of weeks and will return there after Christmas.

Big hitter: Luke Wright flies into India from the Big Bash

Big hitter: Luke Wright flies into India from the Big Bash

‘I haven’t spoken to Wrighty yet but I will because his experience of domestic cricket around the world will be invaluable,’ said Morgan. ‘We’ve seen in the Big Bash that he’s performing just as he was in the World Twenty20.’

That World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka saw England make a meek and disappointing defence of their trophy but this can hardly be seen as the first steps towards the next one in Bangladesh in 2014 because so many are missing.

The Indian board wanted England to stay for Christmas to move into the limited-overs leg without a break, but when the tourists refused, this compromise was made. The 50-over team will come back in early January for five matches.

It is far from satisfactory but such are the modern demands on players that it is understandable and at least these games provide more invaluable experience for exciting young talents like Somerset batsman Jos Buttler, Hampshire spinner Danny Briggs and, if he gets a chance, Middlesex seamer James Harris, who was added to the squad when Broad had to pull out.

Big hitter: Job Buttler will be handed the chance to shine on the subcontinent

Big hitter: Job Buttler will be handed the chance to shine on the subcontinent

As well as having an opportunity to impress the selectors, England’s young guns are also in the IPL window. So far only Morgan and Pietersen among England players have lucrative contracts for the next cash-fest but the problem, as Indian captain MS Dhoni said yesterday, is one of availability.
Any centrally contracted England player can only play for a month at most in the IPL before they have to report back for the early summer Test series.

‘If the England players could be here for 45-50 days I could see a lot of them coming to the IPL,’ said Dhoni. ‘You have to be a special player, like Kevin Pietersen, for a franchise to say, “Let’s bank on this player”, even if he is only available for a few games.’

Jonny Bairstow kept wicket when England last played a Twenty20 match in Sri Lanka, but even in the absence of Craig Kieswetter, he may be forced to share the keeping responsibilities here with Buttler. Both took the gloves during practice under the Pune lights.

England cricket: Five key questions to answer

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Five questions England must answer before tackling the challenges ahead

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UPDATED:

22:30 GMT, 17 December 2012

After England's superb Test victory in India Sportsmail looks at the challenges ahead of Alastair Cook's side. Here are five pertinent questions.

Can England fit Monty Panesar into their side outside the subcontinent

Graeme Swann is still the No 1 spinner but Panesar has been superb, particularly in taking 11 wickets in Mumbai, and must be in contention for a regular place alongside Swann now. His fielding and batting will hold him back unless England take the plunge, put Matt Prior at six and go for five bowlers. Unlikely unless they fall behind in a series and need to gamble.

Has Nick Compton done enough to cement his place as opener alongside Alastair Cook

He impressed without producing that defining innings. Joe Root’s introduction will crank up the pressure but both could play in New Zealand in February. A top six of Cook, Compton, Trott, Pietersen, Bell and Root may be one attacking strokeplayer light when it comes to taking on the Aussies.

Opener Nick Compton impressed but did not produce a 'defining' innings

Opener Nick Compton impressed but did not produce a 'defining' innings

Do we need to be worried about Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan

Vice-captain Broad’s heel injury has ruled him out of the two Twenty20 matches that conclude this leg of the tour and he must come to terms with being dropped from the Test side for the first time in four years. Bresnan has not looked the same since his elbow operation at the start of this year and didn’t take a wicket in his two Tests here.

Will the new two-coach system work

Neither Andy Flower nor new man Ashley Giles will be around for the Twenty20 matches in Pune on Thursday and Mumbai on Saturday, but Giles will start his new role as limited-overs coach when England return to India for the one-day series next month and how he works alongside team director Flower will be fascinating. England can be backed to make a success of it.

Compatible Can the dual system with team director Andy Flower (right) work

Compatible Can the dual system with team director Andy Flower (right) work

Has Kevin Pietersen been successfully ‘reintegrated’ into the England team

It looks that way. All within the camp confirm that Pietersen has been a model professional in the dressing room here and it is almost like the text saga of last summer never happened. England’s decision to add him to this squad, with Cook the driving force, has been thoroughly vindicated, with his series-defining innings at Mumbai an act of genius.

Picture dispute: We are unable to carry live pictures from the fourth Test in Nagpur due to a dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and international news organisations.

The BCCI has refused access to Test venues to established picture agencies Getty Images and Action Images and other Indian photographic agencies.

MailOnline consider this action to be a strike against press freedom and supports the action to boycott BCCI imagery.

Lawrence Booth: England were dominant but India took their eye off the ball

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Lawrence Booth: England were dominant but India took their eye off the ball

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UPDATED:

10:47 GMT, 17 December 2012

In the end, it was easy. If you’d told England supporters after the first-innings debacles at Ahmedabad with ball and bat that their team could afford to block out the final five sessions of the fourth Test to make sure of a series win for the annals, they would have asked what you were on and where they could get some.

But in providing the ballast for England’s series-clinching 352 for 4, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell – the two centurions from Warwickshire – merely underlined the momentum shift that has played itself out over the past few weeks.

Dominant at Ahmedabad, India got cocky. MS Dhoni started asking for pitches designed for the sole purpose of humiliating England and wreaking revenge for 2011. They did what no cricketer should ever do: they took their eye off the ball.

Leading from the front: England captain Alastair Cook was dominant with the bat

Leading from the front: England captain Alastair Cook was dominant with the bat

England, meanwhile, were fortified by events in the second half of the first Test. Alastair Cook, a colossus in this series until he was defeated in Nagpur by negative bowling, a duffer of a pitch and the umpiring of Kumar Dharmasena, made 176 and Matt Prior 91. India’s spinners, it turned out, were no Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman or Rangana Herath.

It helped that England picked the right team in Mumbai. In came Monty Panesar for Tim Bresnan, and a pitch of pace and bounce played right into their hands – for the inclusion of Panesar, with his extra pace, meant England now possessed the superior spin attack.

In a spin: England's spin bowlers of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar out performed the Indian spinners

In a spin: England's spin bowlers of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar out performed the Indian spinners

It helped that Kevin Pietersen had a post-reintegration point to prove. For attacking intent, only Virender Sehwag’s opening-day century at Ahmedabad could even begin to live with Pietersen’s 186 at the Wankhede.

Batting for glory: Jonathan Trott was able to bat for the majority of the final day to see England home to the draw they needed in the final Test

Batting for glory: Jonathan Trott was able to bat for the majority of the final day to see England home to the draw they needed in the final Test

And it helped that Cook, having told his players that – when it came to fluffing their lines against spin in Asia – enough was enough, was a captain on a mission.

At Kolkata, Jimmy Anderson joined in the fun, finding reverse-swing that proved beyond his Indian counterparts, and combining with Steven Finn on the third afternoon in another game where the nature of the pitch had proved a pre-match distraction for the Indians.

And at Nagpur, England won an important toss – at last! – and so were able to keep control of their destiny on a pitch that ensured the fourth Test was played in slow motion. Joe Root proved an inspired pick, and Anderson was outstanding once more, especially on the third evening, when India’s hopes of a big first-innings lead evaporated in an hour.

For many reasons, this must rank as one of England’s finest series wins – home or away. They arrived with a reputation as poor players of spin in Asian conditions, and with the Pietersen saga still a tangible undercurrent.

They had a new captain, who could have been granted a tougher assignment for his first series as full-time leader. They were up against a team that had lost only four series at home out of 40. And they were written off after the first Test.

At least in Australia two years ago they arrived with hope and a little expectation. Here, victory has been a bolt from the blue. At the end of a wondrous year for British sport, the cricketers have finally joined in.

We are unable to carry live pictures from the fourth Test in Nagpur due to a dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and international news organisations.
The BCCI has refused access to Test venues to established picture agencies Getty Images and Action Images and other Indian photographic agencies.
MailOnline consider this action to be a strike against press freedom and supports the action to boycott BCCI imagery.

Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire in 2014

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Tour de Yorkshire! Historic Grand Depart stage to be held in God's own county in 2014 (…and then it's on to London)

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UPDATED:

11:50 GMT, 14 December 2012

The historic Grand Depart of the Tour de France will be staged in Yorkshire in 2014, organisers announced today.

It follows a campaign by the Welcome to Yorkshire tourist agency to bring the prestigious event to the county.

Full details of the route will be announced in two press conferences held in Paris and Leeds on January 17, 2013.

It is believed there will be a stage in Yorkshire on July 5, 2014, starting in Leeds, and then a second stage the following day starting in the county and ending in London.

Leeds will host a Festival of Cycling to coincide with the stage.

Barnsley Wiggins Sky's Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour this year

Barnsley Wiggins Sky's Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour this year

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM T'TOUR

Allez 'Alifax. Vive la Dewsbury. How do Bienvenue.

Yes, the news that the 2014 Tour de France will begin in God's Own County is sure to provoke much mocking headline fun.

But just listen 'ere… First, Yorkshire conquered the Olympics last summer after winning gold after gold after gold (Nicola Adams, Alistair Brownlee, Jessica Ennis).

We're now putting India's cricketers to the sword in Nagpur thanks to Joe Root and Tim Bresnan. Now we've won the honour of launching the greatest race in the world.

Those of us lucky enough to have been born there – think Geoffrey Boycott, Dame Judi Dench, Richard Whitely, Sir Michael Parkinson, Arctic Monkeys, Alan Bennett, Harry Ramsden and Sooty (but not Sweep, that thug is clearly Lancastrian) – have long-since known Yorkshire is the biggest and best county.

And we'll revel in showing off our stunning scenery, cosmopolitan cities (erm… Leeds and Sheffield) and welcoming personalities.
Just don't expect us to get our round in.

Forget Le Tour, welcome to t'Tour. It'll be fan-bloody-tastic.

MARK ALFORD, Professional Yorkshireman

A statement from ASO read: 'The organisers of the Tour de France are pleased to announce that the Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2014 will take place in the United Kingdom in the county of Yorkshire, before heading to London for a stage finish.

'After an outstanding 2012 for British cycling, marked by the historical victory of Bradley Wiggins on the Tour de France, the United Kingdom will again hold pride of place in 2014.

'The Grand Depart of the 101st edition of the Tour will take place on July 5 in Leeds in the county of Yorkshire.

'Seven years after the Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2007 and two years after the latest Olympic Games, London will host the last stage on British soil, before the pack returns to mainland Europe.

'The details of this Grand Depart and the stages it will include will be revealed at a press conference that will take place on Thursday January 17, 2013, in two phases, in both Leeds and Paris.'

British Cycling president Brian Cookson said: 'Like every other cycling fan, I am thrilled the world's biggest bike race is coming back to this country.

'The huge numbers who turned out to support the 2007 Grand Depart and the London 2012 road races show the passion we have for cycling.

'I'm sure Yorkshire will give the 2014 Tour de France a welcome which will stand out in the race's rich history.'

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, added: 'Today is a proud day for everyone involved in the bid and the county as a whole.

'We are honoured that the race organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), have selected Yorkshire to be the host location of the 2014 Grand Dpart.

'It will mean less than two years after hosting the Olympics the British public can look forward to another of the world’s biggest sporting events coming to the country, and I am in no doubt they will come to Yorkshire in their millions, lining the length and breadth of the route to cheer on the champions of world cycling and our home grown British heroes.

World famous race: Scenes like this in France will be coming to Yorkshire in 2014

World famous race: Scenes like this in France will be coming to Yorkshire in 2014

FRENCH TO YORKSHIRE TRANSLATOR

How many seconds in front of t’peloton – Combien de secondes d'avance sur le peloton

Look at ‘em overtaking the lad from t’Hovis ad – Regardez-les dpassements du jeune homme de l'annonce Hovis

What is this t’Yorkshire pudding – Quel est ce pouding Yorkshire

What time is t’Emmerdale t’on – Quelle heure est-Emmerdale t-il

Where is the statue of t’Eric Cantona – O est la statue d'Eric Cantona

Buy your bloody own – Achetez votre propre sanglante

'Yorkshire is a passionate county of proud people and I am sure they will guarantee that their Grand Dpart raises the bar in terms of expectations for all future hosts to come.'

MP for Leeds North West Greg Mulholland said:
'This is absolutely fantastic news for Yorkshire, to have won the bid to be hosting a stage of the Tour de France in the same year as the first ever British winner is sensational.

'The Tour de France is one of the biggest and most prestigious sporting events in the world and to think it will be coming through the cities, towns and streets of Yorkshire is so exciting and it will be a huge boost to the local economy as well as cycling.

'The Back Le Bid team have done a quite superb job and I want to pay tribute to their excellent campaign to show the organisers what Yorkshire has to offer. They have achieved something very special and historic that generations will both enjoy and treasure.'

It is the first time since 2007 the opening part of the Tour will be held in Britain. Then, one million people lined the streets of London for the opening prologue.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'I am thrilled that the Tour de France will return to the UK and no location could be better than London for what will no doubt be an exhilarating climax to the British section of the race.

'This year we proved our expertise not just in hosting world class sporting events, but in winning them too, and I am sure Bradley Wiggins and several of his compatriots will be hugely excited at the prospect of the Tour returning to their home streets.'

Tour organisers Maury Sports Organisation selected Yorkshire ahead of a separate British-wide bid with an Edinburgh start, but that remains in the running for a future date, possibly 2017.

An EventScotland spokesman said: 'It is disappointing that we have been unsuccessful for the 2014 Grand Depart but it is great news that the Tour is returning in 2014 following British cycling success this year.

'Our initial plans had highlighted 2017 as our preferred date and we have had a positive indication from ASO that the year is still a possibility.

'We have developed a great British bid with strong partners, which would deliver significant benefits to the whole country and we will continue our positive dialogue with ASO in the new year and look at our next steps.'

The 100th edition of the Tour begins in Corsica on June 29, 2013.

Britain's Bradley Wiggins is the defending champion, having become the first rider from this country to claim overall victory this summer.

Some of Yorkshire's beautiful scenery


Yorkshire immortalised in the famous 1973 Hovis advert

How have England turned it around so successfully after opening Test defeat in Ahmedabad?

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How have England turned it around so successfully after opening Test defeat in Ahmedabad

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UPDATED:

22:37 GMT, 8 December 2012

Outplayed in the opening Test, England will be dreaming of a first series win in India for 27 years if they can finish things off in Kolkata today. Here’s how they have made it happen…

Key omission: Monty Panesar (FILE PHOTO)

Key omission: Monty Panesar (FILE PHOTO)

Picking the right team

The decision to play just one frontline spinner — Graeme Swann — in the first Test in Ahmedabad proved costly. The recall of Monty Panesar might be the single biggest factor in England turning around the series. He took 11 wickets in Mumbai and has five so far in Kolkata.

Preying on ageing stars

A team full of ageing greats such as Sachin Tendulkar (right) unravelled in the second Test. That more focus was lavished on the pitch than England ahead of Mumbai laid bare India’s lack of faith in their own abilities, which the tourists ruthlessly exploited.

Bowling well

Poor team selection in the first Test was compounded by the performance of England’s seamers. Tim Bresnan was axed immediately and Stuart Broad after Mumbai. James Anderson, poor in Ahmedabad, has been superb, while Steven Finn totally eclipsed Broad.

Finally getting big runs

Alastair Cook’s 176 in Ahmedabad, the first of three centuries, kick-started a phenomenal run from the captain and showed his team-mates big runs could be scored. Kevin Pietersen followed in Mumbai as England found the knack of amassing large totals.

Working out the spinners

The figures of Ravi Ashwin in England’s second innings in the first Test told their own story as he leaked 111 runs in 43 overs for the solitary wicket of Swann. He was quickly worked out and has since had more impact with the bat. Pragyan Ojha has been India’s best spinner, but he is no Saeed Ajmal.

Stuart Broad form an issue for England, says David Saker

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Broad's form has become an 'issue' for England, admits bowling coach Saker as Finn returns to action

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UPDATED:

10:11 GMT, 27 November 2012

Wicketless: Broad has struggled in India

Wicketless: Broad has struggled in India

England have admitted they have ‘an issue’ with Stuart Broad and may consider dropping their vice-captain for the crucial third Test in Kolkata next week.

Broad – who was hit by illness during the second Test as exclusively revealed by Sportsmail on Friday night – had a match to forget here in Mumbai as England pulled off an historic victory to level the series against India, bowling 12 wicketless overs for 60 runs in the first innings and not even being called on in the second.

Now, with Steven Finn returning to action on Monday for the England Performance Squad in their match here in Mumbai, Broad’s place is in question even though he has been one of their principal performers over the last few years.

‘There’s a little bit of an issue with Broad, there’s no doubt it,’ David Saker, the England fast bowling coach, told Sky TV here this morning. ‘He hasn’t bowled as we would have liked and he would be the first to admit that.

Vice-captain: Broad is second in command for EnglandVice-captain: Broad is second in command for England

Vice-captain: Broad is second in command for England

‘He’s not the first fast bowler to come over here and find it hard but the great fast bowlers have had success over here. Stuart is probably not a great yet but he has to learn ways to become great. It’s a great learning curve for him.

‘If he gets the next Test he will have to be ready for it. During my tenure as bowling coach I haven’t had too many players down on confidence and form. This is when I have to come to the party. I hope I can do stuff over the next few days that can help.’

With Tim Bresnan struggling in the first Test in Ahmedabad and being dropped for the second, Broad’s inclusion at Eden Gardens will probably come down to whether Finn has recovered from the thigh injury he suffered in the field in England’s first warm-up game here.

Knocking on the door: Finn plays for the Performance Squad this week

Knocking on the door: Finn plays for the Performance Squad this week

‘We’ve got our fingers crossed he’ll come through,’ said Saker. ‘If he gets through this game unscathed his name will definitely be up for selection next week.’

‘Finn has got that x-factor, a bit of pace, that height that always means you can get variable bounce over here. So his name will be bandied around for sure for that second seamer’s spot.’

Steven Finn ruled out of second Test with thigh injury

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Broad set for reprieve as Finn is ruled out of second Test with thigh injury

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UPDATED:

14:42 GMT, 20 November 2012

Steven Finn has been ruled out of England's second Test against India in Mumbai by a thigh injury.

England coach Andy Flower revealed that the Middlesex paceman faces a second scan on Wednesday to assess the injury.

England will be without Ian Bell as they bid to bounce back from their first Test defeat in Ahmedabad as he has already returned home for the birth of his first child.

Flower explained Finn has aggravated his initial injury.

Ruled out: Finn has a thigh injury

Ruled out: Finn has a thigh injury

Paceman: Finn

But if the scan shows no major problem
on Wednesday, he will be considered for an England Performance Programme
match – with a view to returning in time for the final two Tests in
Kolkata and Nagpur.

'Steven has been working hard to get back to full fitness,' said the coach.

'He has unfortunately hurt his leg again, a couple of days ago, and is having another scan tomorrow.

'We don't think he's got any structural damage, but it would be careless to suggest that he might play the second Test.'

England will tread carefully with Finn, but remain optimistic.

'What we might do is send him off to the performance programme that arrived in India earlier this morning,' added Flower.

'They've got a three-day game starting on the 27th. If he's ready for
that, which is the last day of the second Test, we'll put him through
his paces in that.

'If he comes through that well, he'll be available for the third and fourth Tests.'

Homeward bound: Bell (right) also misses the second Test

Homeward bound: Bell (right) also misses the second Test

Finn missed the nine-wicket defeat in Ahmedabad with the same problem but it was hoped he would be fit to return for Friday's Test in Mumbai.

Fellow seamers Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan were expected to make way for Finn and spinner Monty Panesar, but now it appears that Broad will play alongside James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Panesar in a four-man attack.

Bell, meanwhile, is celebrating the birth of son Joseph William.

Bell's wife Chantal gave birth on Monday, shortly before Bell arrived
back in England despite leaving the first Test early once it became
clear his son was on the way.

Bumble at the Test: England finally wake up and join the Test

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Bumble's Test diary: England finally wake up and join the Test series

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UPDATED:

12:34 GMT, 18 November 2012

England have joined the tour. Abysmal in the first innings but they have finally entered the series, and Alastair Cook has been outstanding, while Matt Prior’s knock was fantastic. All we have heard is 'England’s batsmen can’t play spin', but these two have put that to bed. And they can definitely get something out of this game today…

Welcome to the tour: Alastair Cook got England up and running in India

Welcome to the tour: Alastair Cook got England up and running in India

Captain Cook stays cool under pressure

It’s the captain Cook show. He has already batted longer than any other England player in a follow-on situation and has also now made more centuries on the subcontinent (five) than any other Englishman. And it’s no sweat for him. He doesn’t perspire and never changes his gloves. Magnificent.

KP looks out of sorts as England's batsmen struggle

However, the lack of runs from other big names in the top six (Trott, Pietersen and Bell) is a worry. Pietersen looks out of sorts generally, and against left-arm spin in particular. Bell of course flies home now for the birth of his child and Jonny Bairstow should replace him for the second Test

In a spin: Kevin Pietersen has not been at his best in the two innings so far

In a spin: Kevin Pietersen has not been at his best in the two innings so far

England must admit they got it wrong… and turn to Monty

The nailed-on bowling change for Mumbai is Monty Panesar for Tim Bresnan because the pitch will spin and England do not need three seamers. They must admit they picked the wrong side. England should also consider bringing in Steven Finn, but this would be at the expense of Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad, so I don’t see it happening, even though the latter has struggled lately.

The time is now: England need to call up Monty Panesar for the second Test

The time is now: England need to call up Monty Panesar for the second Test

Ojha leaves Ashwin in the shade

Monty and Graeme Swann lose nothing in comparison with Ravi Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha. Ashwin is supposedly India’s star spinner but he has now gone an eternity without taking a wicket.

Fire alarm broke my sleep pattern

My sleeping patterns are all over the place! After my oversleeping episode on Friday, I was hit by a double whammy last night…the fire alarm went off in the hotel and there was a wedding reception! I need to get my head down…