Four bowlers and one allrounder are in the running for vacancy created in the England line-up by Tim Bresnan’s injury. ESPNcricinfo takes a close look at the contenders
George Dobell in Dubai16-Jan-2012Steven Finn
Age: 22. Tests: 12. Wickets: 50. Average: 26.92The fastest of England’s seamers, Finn surely has a fine future at this level. He has already set a record as the youngest Englishman to 50 Test wickets and, with three five-wicket hauls in just 12 Tests, has a compelling record as a wicket-taker. He isn’t the finished article just yet, however, and a propensity to leak runs at almost four-an-over may well count against him. Indeed, he was omitted after the Perth Test at the end of 2010 for that very reason and has only played one Test since. He was a rare beacon of excellence among the mediocrity of England’s limited-overs tour to India before Christmas, however, and appears to have added reverse-swing to his armoury in recent months. Might have to wait just a little longer.Chris Tremlett
Age: 30. Tests: 10. Wickets: 49. Average: 25.67Perhaps Tremlett will never completely shrug off his unjust reputation of a somewhat diffident, work-shy individual, but his performances since leaving Hampshire and joining Surrey at the start of 2010 have been excellent. He played a key role in the Ashes success of 2010-11 before helping destroy Sri Lanka in a crazy session at Cardiff a few months later. Injuries intervened, however, not for the first time in his career, and he has had to wait for Bresnan to pull out before winning another chance. Tall, quick and with the ability to generate horrid bounce, Tremlett also has a good economy rate – he concedes, on average, a run fewer an over than Finn – and looks to be favourite to win a recall.Graham Onions
Age: 26. Tests: 8. Wickets: 28. Average: 31.03There were times not so long ago when Onions thought his career might be over, so serious was the back injury he sustained. For that reason, he is delighted just be in the England set-up again after almost two years on the sidelines. He has many commendable characteristics as a cricketer: he bowls admirably straight, rarely wasting a delivery and, possessing decent pace, can move the ball in the air and off the pitch just enough to trouble the best batsmen. Perhaps a few question marks still linger over his fitness, however, and he would appear to have a few in front of him in the queue for a place. Promoted to the full squad only after Tim Bresnan was forced home through injury (Onions was with the squad as back-up until then), the Durham seamer may have to wait a little longer to play his first Test since Cape Town in the first week of 2010.Monty Panesar
Age: 29. Tests: 39. Wickets: 126. Average: 34.37
When he made his Test debut in 2006, Panesar was tipped to be a feature in every England Test side for a generation. The emergence of Swann, however, and the perceived inability of Panesar to develop his skills, means that he hasn’t represented England since the first Ashes Test of 2009 and, even then, his more memorable contribution came with the bat.In many ways, he hasn’t changed much. He bowls quicker than most spinners and, with his accuracy, flight and turn, presents a tough proposition for any batsman. Some will suggest that he lacks subtlety but, had it not been for dropped catches, he might have finished the 2011 domestic season as the leading wicket-taker. He out-bowled Swann in the warm-up matches in Dubai and, on pitches unlikely to provide much assistance to the seamers, might well prove more adept at keeping an end tight and applying pressure than any of his competitions for this role. He’s moving ever closer to a return, but he may still have to wait for the tour to Sri Lanka.Ravi Bopara
Age: 26. Tests: 12. Wickets: 1. Average: 212.00
A distant prospect this but England could have considered playing Bopara ahead of Eoin Morgan to make use of Bopara’s bustling medium-pace. They could also have omitted Morgan to make space to play three specialist seamers and two specialist spinners. Under the ‘consistency of selection’ policy, however, it seems unlikely that England will change their tactic of selecting six specialist batsmen. Bopara’s record of just one Test wicket doesn’t scream his case, either.
