Onions wants Ashes place
Durham and England fast bowler http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Graham-Onions-c60618 says he thinks he can do a good job in the Ashes this winter despite not having played a single game this summer.
Onions has been out of action after suffering a stress fracture to his lower back. This is a common injury among fast bowlers but it has meant that his England place for the winter tour of Australia is now in doubt.
Onions has enjoyed a very fruitful test career to date and has taken an impressive 28 wickets in only eight matches. However, he'll have to prove his fitness very quickly if he wants to be on the plane to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. However, he is now far down the pecking order and has to earn his right to get back into the England team.
Playing qualities
Onions is a line and length bowler with a good amount of pace. It's important to have disciplined bowlers when playing in Australia because the pitches and the atmosphere don't always help the ball to swing and move.
Onions has always looked like a very fit bowler who is capable of bowling long spells. This will be important if he plays in the Ashes because others will need regular rests in the intense heat and conditions.
Onions can get a deceptive amount of bounce out of any wicket. He does not look as though he will run up to the wicket and bang the ball onto the pitch and this is what makes his bouncer such a surprising delivery. It could be useful in getting the better Australian players out.
He said: "I'm a lot more positive, the knee is coming on really well and the fitness instructor is putting me through my paces. If I had no motivation and was just thinking 'how do I get myself ready for next season?' then maybe I wouldn't be training as hard as I am now."
The pecking order
Onions is way down in the current pecking order of English bowlers. Andy Flower has a number of players he can choose from to form the basis of England's attack this winter and it is a nice problem for the coach to have.
The only way that Onions is going to move back towards getting his place back is to get fit as soon as he can and start playing games. He will not be picked in the England attack if he has not bowled overs because the Australians will be all over him if he is rusty.
He added: "Being a professional cricketer, you want to play against the best. I want to play against Australia and get the England shirt on, but first I've obviously got to get the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Durham-c782 shirt back on. I just desperately want to play, that's definitely at the back of my mind when I'm on the treadmill."
Betting advice
Onions is a very good bowler who is capable of taking five wickets whenever he walks out onto a pitch. If he does play for Durham before the end of the season then he will be a good bet to rip through the heart of the opposition batting line up.
He is a very consistent and accurate bowler. If he does get back and starts playing well then he's got an outside chance of making the Ashes squad but it may just come a little too soon for him. England will remain favourites for the Ashes either way.
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