Strauss confident Bopara and Bresnan can fill the breach left by injured duo
ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss has backed his side’s supporting cast to compensate for the absences of injured duo Chris Tremlett and Jonathan Trott at Edgbaston this week.
The shoulder injury which prevented Trott from batting in his customary No3 slot in England’s second innings at Trent Bridge last week is yet to heal, while Tremlett, who missed the Nottingham victory, was ruled out with a back injury.
Tim Bresnan, who bowled England to victory in the second Test to help establish a 2-0 series lead, is now certain to keep his place, while Trott is to be replaced by Ravi Bopara, who hasn’t played a five-day game for his country in two years.
“It’s sad for Chris that he has a bulging disc in his back and that should clear up sooner or later, but this Test has come too soon,” said Strauss.
“But one of the great things is people have come in and performed
“Tim got his chance because Chris, who had done brilliantly, was injured and he took it with both hands. Ravi Bopara is coming in for this game and he’s got the chance to do something similar.”
Dhoni toys with idea of ditching spin altogether
INDIA captain MS Dhoni has refused to rule out fielding a four-pronged pace attack in the third Test against England at Edgbaston today. The tourists have struggled to take 20 wickets in the series so far and without the services of Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan through injury, Dhoni may well opt for all out pace in an attempt to unsettle England. He said: “We have seen that the wickets have not assisted the spinners. There is not much for the slow guys. There is a possibility of playing four pacers.”