Friday 28 January 2011 08:48, UK
Chittagong in March, St Lucia in May, Melbourne at Christmas...Tim Bresnan spent much of 2010 proving he can be England's man for all seasons, and venues.
Chittagong in March, St Lucia in May, Melbourne at Christmas...Tim Bresnan spent much of 2010 proving he can be England's man for all seasons, and venues. The Yorkshire seamer will need to go full circle and beyond, though, if Andrew Strauss' team are to add a worthwhile campaign at the forthcoming World Cup to England's notable recent triumphs in the two other formats. After warm-ups back at one of his old stamping grounds, against Canada and then Pakistan in Dhaka, 25-year-old Bresnan will be required to add Nagpur as the next successful port of call on his globe-trotting CV. Five days later comes another examination of mettle, which will be surpassed only if England were to reach the final on April 2. England versus co-hosts India promises to be a highlight of the group stages, despite the appetising prospect of a 100,000-capacity crowd at Eden Gardens being blackballed by the ICC after the Kolkata venue was deemed to be behind on its ground rennovations. Wherever the tie is eventually played, though, the quality of the star-studded Indian side and the feverish support of the home fans mean it will be no place for faint heart or nerves of anything but gold-plated steel. Fortunately, of all England's hopefuls, Bresnan appears to have the perfect credentials to handle the occasion. He has the talent with both bat and ball to compete against the world's best in 50-over cricket. He has the adaptability too, to give himself a chance in all conditions. Most of all, though, Bresnan has the knack of producing his best when he and his team need it. He is habitually adept - in the 'coach-speak' so long favoured by Australia and increasingly many others, England included - at 'executing his skills'. Bresnan's repertoire with the red ball includes conventional and reverse-swing, and plenty of honest toil; with the white ball, he is adept too at all manner of deceptions via changes of pace and cross-seam release. None of the above is much use, however, without the discipline to bowl to your field, the nous to think on your feet and that treasured ability to hold your nerve. If the last 12 months are a fair guide, Bresnan is close to a full house. That statement is about to face its biggest test yet, but he can keep drawing confidence from the fact he has so far passed with flying colours every time. Coach Andy Flower was hugely encouraged with the burly seamer's durability on last winter's tour of Bangladesh; key, economical spells then helped steer a victory course in the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean; then Bresnan surpassed himself with four second-innings wickets as England retained the Ashes at the MCG a month ago. After an unexpected call-up for that match, it might have been understandable had it all proved too much. Yet that was never going to happen to plain-speaking Bresnan, who afterwards explained perhaps as well as anyone can the intangible mental resolve which serves him so well. "I do like being under the pump. I do like the big occasion, and I do like being under pressure," he said. "I think it brings out the best in me - so why wouldn't it be on Boxing Day in Australia?" Bresnan will doubtless already be asking himself similar questions as he prepares for his World Cup challenge. In the meantime, as a late casualty of England's draining schedule in Australia, he must overcome an untimely but relatively minor calf injury. Assuming he does so, and there have been confident noises on the subject throughout, it will be interesting to see what Bresnan makes of that venue for England's second group match against the tournament co-hosts. Faced with the MCG for the first time, in an early-December tour match against Victoria, Bresnan made it clear he was anything but overawed by a stadium which can hold upwards of 90,000. "Is it vast?" he asked. "It's not as big as Headingley." That, of course, is not strictly true; on the other hand, it was conveyed with the self-belief which would help Bresnan and England secure the Ashes? So why not the World Cup?
