Tremlett opens up battle of the giants

CHRIS TREMLETT has been handed the chance to make a dramatic return to England’s Test side in place of Steve Harmison.

Chris Tremlett Chris Tremlett

Tremlett, who thought he was going home last weekend, and Harmison were paired for a head-to-head comparison when the team for the final warm-up match before the Test series was named yesterday.[>

[>

England are concerned – once again – about Harmison’s fitness and form. There is a feeling he has turned up in New Zealand not ready to hit the ground running, which is essential these days with practice matches at a minimum.[>

[>

I was really impressed with the hostility he showed last summer

Andrew Strauss on Tremlett

Tremlett, Hampshire’s towering 26-year-old, was due to fly home last Sunday with the rest of the one-day specialists but was told to stay on because Harmison was troubled by a stiff back.[>

[>

He has been rescheduled for a flight home next Tuesday, the day before the first Test in Hamilton, but that may be changed again if he makes a big impact in the three-day match against a New Zealand Select XI due to start here last night. [>

[>

England suspect New Zealand’s batsmen are vulnerable to the rising ball after being given a torrid time by South Africa’s quicks earlier this winter. Harmison is the best-equipped England bowler to expose this weakness but only at his best, of which he looked well short here earlier this week.[>

[>

The next best ‘bang-it-in’ merchant in the party is 6ft 7ins Tremlett, who impressed as Harmison’s replacement in the final three Tests of last summer against India.[>

[>

Tremlett, like Harmison, has had his share of fitness woes and last weekend had a scan on an injured left side, but showed great commitment this winter despite getting only 12th man duties in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.[>

[>

Ryan Sidebottom’s hamstring injury leaves the Test bowling line-up wide open but the batting appears to have taken shape with some intriguing positional moves in the side named yesterday.[>

[>

Andrew Strauss was listed to bat at No 3 – not as an opener as former chairman of selectors David Graveney suggested when the squad was announced in January – leaving Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook to stay together at the top of the order. [>

[>

Ian Bell is the new No5 with Paul Collingwood demoted to No6, a sign the one-day captain’s Test place is under threat from Owais Shah, who again misses out.[>

[>

Strauss, having been dropped for the tour of Sri Lanka, is simply happy to be back. “Clearly the thinking is Alastair and myself are similar players and that possibly makes it easier for the bowlers to settle into a rhythm,” he said.[>

[>

“Vaughany and Alastair seemed to work pretty well as an opening combination in Sri Lanka and being a left hand-right hand pair there’s a feeling that will be a good launchpad for the team.[>

[>

“It doesn’t make a huge amount of difference me coming in at three. I haven’t done it a lot but it is exciting, a new challenge.”[>

[>

On Tremlett’s surprise inclusion ahead of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, original selections in the Test tour squad, Strauss said: “I was really impressed with the hostility he showed last summer.[>

[>

“None of the Indians appeared to like facing him. He will be very keen to press his claim but there are five or six seamers there all tightly packed and that’s a good thing for a team.”[>

[>

England (v NZ Select XI): M Vaughan (capt), A Cook, A Strauss, K Pietersen, I Bell, [>

P Collingwood, T Ambrose, C Tremlett, M Hoggard, S Harmison, M Panesar.[>

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?