Chris Tremlett is the ideal replacement for Stuart Broad in England’s team for the third Ashes Test, according to Surrey manager Chris Adams.
Tremlett, Ajmal Shahzad and Tim Bresnan are all vying to come into the side for the December 16-20 showdown in Perth after Nottinghamshire seamer Broad was ruled out for the rest of the series with a stomach injury.
Surrey’s Tremlett was a surprise inclusion in the initial 16-man squad for the tour as he has not played a Test match for more than three years.
Nevertheless, the 29-year-old looks to be the favourite to replace Broad given that his 6ft 7in frame is likely to cause the Australians problems on the WACA pitch, which is traditionally a pacy and bouncy wicket.
Adams has been instrumental in overseeing the transformation of Tremlett from England’s forgotten man to Test contender after his move to the Brit Oval at the end of last season proved to be successful, with the right-armer taking 48 first class wickets.
“Bresnan has bowled well and would add depth to the batting order and Shahzad is a fantastic talent but for this particular Test I would not look beyond Chris Tremlett to come in,” said Adams.
Bounce
“The WACA extracts more pace and bounce than most pitches and I know that’s why the selectors had Chris in mind when they chose the squad.
“He has the attributes to get lots of wickets on that type of pitch.
“Because of his height if he plays on a pitch like that, he will cause all sorts of problems at the WACA.”
A move to the Oval seems to have proved the catalyst for Tremlett’s renaissance after a series of injuries blighted his attempt to forge an international career for himself following his Test debut against India in 2007.
Tremlett’s credentials will be put to the test when he lines up for England in their warm-up match in Melbourne against Victoria on Friday – just six days before the tourists hope to retain the urn by beating Australia in Perth.
Despite being overlooked for the first two Tests, Tremlett has already impressed Down Under, taking 7-121 in England’s game against Australia A in Tasmania three weeks ago.
Adams continued: “That performance in the warm-up game got a lot of people talking about Chris Tremlett again, and that is great.
“I wasn’t surprised at his performance in that match.
“Chris has been building up for a long time to this kind of form.
“He looked in good nick. He has bowled like that all year and he was always ready to come straight if an injury happened to the side. He is gold dust.”
Bresnan would provide England with more cover with the bat if he comes in for Broad while Shahzad’s fiery temperament and pace stands in his favour.
‘Softie’
Tremlett has been labelled a “gentle giant” in the past due to a perceived lack of aggression.
Shane Warne spoke of his frustration while captaining the right-arm bowler at Hampshire, describing Tremlett as a “softie”.
Adams, however, denies that the Australians will be given an easy ride if Tremlett is chosen next Friday.
“He can be a horrendous person to face, as awful as any bowler I have faced in my career,” Adams added.
“You don’t have to be a nasty, fasty, shouty, up and at ’em kind of character to make life very unpleasant for the opposition.
“Chris puts the ball in the right areas at the right pace and it gets results.
“I would rather take his type all day over someone who comes in and shouts and screams at everyone.”
