Bresnan aware of Flintoff battle
In the aftermath of taking his first test match wickets for England, Tim Bresnan has admitted that he will struggle to stay in the team when Andrew Flintoff returns to full fitness.
The England all-rounder is currently recovering from knee surgery and is expected to be fit enough to take part in this summer’s Ashes test cricket. This means that Bresnan – who has come in to replace Flintoff – is the most likely man to step aside.
Speaking about the prospect of Flintoff taking his place, Bresnan said that the Lancashire man is a ‘massive asset’ to this England team and that the selectors will find it hard to ignore him when he becomes available again.
Bresnan clearly admires Flintoff as a player because he went on to say that he is an ‘unbelievable cricketer’. This means that when he is able to return to the fold, Flintoff is ‘well within his rights’ to walk straight back into the team.
This doesn’t mean that Bresnan is giving up his place in Andrew Strauss’ line-up though, not by any means. He has revealed how he plans to continue ‘working hard to retain my place’.
How did Bresnan do in his two test matches for England then? Well, the team as a whole did brilliantly and being part of this winning team will do his chances of a run in the side no harm at all.
On a personal level, Bresnan wasn’t given too much to do in the first test and as such, failed to make an impact. Then, in the second test at the Riverside, he had to wait until the final day before he took his first wicket.
The 24-year-old then helped England secure victory by taking 3-45 after dismissing Brendan Nash, Fidel Edwards and Denesh Randin. It was
a good way to end the series for him and it will do his confidence no harm at all.
As for whether he can keep Flintoff out of the side, that is a different matter entirely. There are other slots in the team that aren’t certain though so if Bresnan manages to impress during the One Day Internationals and the ICC World Twenty20, there is no reason why he can’t line up alongside Flintoff against the Australians.
