England consider bowling replacements for injured Broad

If the second test match in Adelaide was one of the most comprehensive English victories over Australia, then the injury to Stuart Broad was the fly in the ointment. England were dealt a blow on the penultimate day of the Adelaide Test as an abdominal tear ruled Broad out for the remainder of The Ashes tour. Broad, who had bowled with ample pace and aggression while lacking luck, was crucial to the balance of a resurgent England and took the new ball with skill that his series figures of two wickets at an average of 80.50 do not suggest.

England are assesing replacements for the injured Broad, above.

The England Selectors now face a tough decision as to who should replace the Notinghamshire seamer, although the problem of having to choose from three more than adequate replacements is a welcome one. All three of Broad's potential replacements bowled excellently in the warm up match against Australia A in Hobart: Ajmal Shahzad swung the bowl dangerously and consistently with the notoriously swing-unfriendly Kookuburra ball, Chris Tremlett probed away with a nagging length Broad himself would have been proud of and took the statistical honours at least, and Tim Bresnan was as consistent as ever.

"A shoot-out in the upcoming tour match in Melbourne is likely to provide a good indication of the direction England are likely to go in"

The name on most peoples lips is Chris Tremlett – the Surrey paceman has the height, pace and bounce to replicate the qualities Broad bought so ably to the English bowling attack -however his first class batting average of 18.29 is solid rather than spectacular and so he cannot be considered a true like for like replacement for Broad. Bresnan has had modest success during his time with the England team but is a viable, If somewhat negative, option. While he cannot bring the bowling prowess of Broad or his two rivals he is a consistent performer who can shore up an end while adding depth to the batting line up. Shahzad is an exciting young bowler, and although he isn’t particularly suited to the fast, bouncy conditions of Perth, as James Anderson has excelled so far Flower and Strauss would have nothing to worry about were he the chosen one. He's also likely to be considered if the precious Steven Finn is promoted to take the new ball, although the selectors should be wary of doing so.

With England in the ascendancy and runs coming freely from batsmen in form, the selectors shouldn’t take a backwards step by trying to close out the series so early on with a negative selection like Bresnan. Depth of batting is not an issue with Swann and Prior both capable of scoring test match runs, and the focus should be on the ongoing problem of taking twenty wickets in a test match, something both teams have struggled with (albeit the Australians decidedly more than England). A shoot-out in the upcoming tour match in Melbourne is likely to provide a good indication of the direction England are likely to go in, and although Flower remains tight lipped on the issue, the possibility of retaining The Ashes in third Test in Perth means the balance of the England team is unlikely to be upset. Tremlett is able to replicate Broad's attributes so closely, so it would seem he is the just the man for the job.