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Steven Finn has declared himself fit for selection for the third Test and looks set to displace Stuart Broad in England's team.
Finn, who suffered a thigh strain in the first warm-up game of the tour,
bowled two spells in the nets at training at Eden Gardens on Monday
without discomfort and then stated: "If I'm needed on Wednesday, then
I'll be ready to go. I feel in good rhythm. I'm in a good place."
Finn could face a tough return at Eden Gardens. For all the talk of the
pitch - and the Eden Park curator, Prabir Mukherjee, has certainly
talked a good game
over recent days - it seems that the India captain, MS Dhoni, is going
to receive exactly what he requested. Recently used - the last Ranji
Trophy match on it ended on November 20 - it will offer, on the evidence
of the practice pitches on the same square, far more to spinners than
seamers. The England seamers struggled to get the ball to bounce above
hip height in the nets which, according to Mukherjee, are much like the
Test pitch. Finn may have extra pace but, on such surfaces, his control
and skill will be even more important.
"If I'm picked as part of a two-man seam attack, I might be used in a
strike-bowling capacity," Finn said. "There is a little bit of pressure,
but you don't change your plans or the way that you bowl. Just because
you're being used as a strike bowler doesn't mean you start bowling
bumpers and yorkers all the time searching for wickets. You still have
to have a degree of patience and use your skills wisely."
Broad can console himself with the knowledge that, when England revert
to an attack containing three seamers, he is likely to return. The
experience of being dropped is new to him, however, and will smart.
Plucked out of county cricket when he was just 20 - his seventh List A
game was an ODI - he was tipped for greatness early and, having been
appointed England's T20 captain before he was 25, was promoted to
vice-captain at the start of this tour. His career is now at something
of a crossroads.
Perhaps he can consider himself unfortunate. Vernon Philander is the
only seamer in the world to have taken more Test wickets than Broad this
year - Philander has 43, Broad 40 - and he has finished as England's
highest wicket-taker in two of the three full series in which he has
played this year (against West Indies and South Africa). In the series
against Pakistan, Monty Panesar claimed one more wicket than Broad.
Although he took eight wickets in the Headingley Test, Broad was
disappointingly impotent in against South Africa, like his colleagues,
and has yet to take a wicket in the series against India. Not only has
he lost some pace - a fact that is obvious to all but the man himself
and, it seems, England's bowling coach, David Saker - but his control
has deteriorated, culminating in him conceding five runs an over in
Mumbai.
It may be relevant that he and Tim Bresnan, who has also lost his nip,
are the only two seamers in the England party to have regularly played
all three formats of the game for any length of time at international
level. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that England's schedule is
diluting the performance of their best players and coaches. There is a
clear warning here to England over the long-term future of Finn.
There is a sense, too, that the wake-up call of being dropped may do
Broad no harm. While there is little evidence that he has become
consciously complacent, it is often the case that a man who has known
hunger will work harder than one who never has. Life has come pretty
easy to Broad so far and this new challenge may yet be the making of
him. Aged just 26, his best years should be ahead of him.
He does not lack for support from his colleagues. Saker, who is the
latest member of the touring party to fall ill, and James Anderson have
already spoken of the need to throw a consoling arm around his shoulder
and, on Monday, it was Finn's turn to offer his support.
"He is an exceptional bowler," Finn said. "He's had tough times in his
career before with injuries but he's played 50 Tests. He's a world-class
player and we know he'll be back. He is not a million miles away."
It is likely that England will make two changes to the side that won so
convincingly in Mumbai. As well as Finn for Broad, Ian Bell is expected
to return. While it is probable that he will replace Jonny Bairstow, it
is possible that both Bell and Bairstow will play and that Samit Patel,
who averages 12.66 with the bat and 62 with the ball in his four Tests,
will make way.
Broad's likely absence, and the continuing omission of Bresnan, means
that England may have a longer tail than normal. Graeme Swann, who
started the series at No.10 (he actually batted at No.11 in the first
innings at Ahmedabad), will bat at eight, meaning a final three of
Anderson, Finn and Panesar. It is not ideal, but the onus should really
be on the batsmen to make the bulk of the runs. Despite the excellence
of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook, England could do with more of a
contribution from Jonathan Trott, Bell and whoever bats at No. 6.
This could well prove to be an attritional encounter. While the pitch
will effectively be nine days old by the scheduled end, it looks as if
any turn available to the spinners may be slow and with little bounce.
Panesar, who, with 96 victims is the highest first-class wicket-taker anywhere in the world in 2012, may struggle to replicate his Mumbai heroics.
George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: George Dobell
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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