Tim Bresnan’s Foot Injury - Ajmal Shahzad expectant of a Test Debut
Tim Bresnan’s foot injury has left Ajmal Shahzad to make his five-day debut against Bangladesh at Old Trafford on Friday. Tim Bresnan got a foot injury in the first test against Bangladesh at Lord’s that forced him out of the reckoning creating a fast-bowling vacancy in the English side.
Shahzad is going to face a competition from Ryan Sidebottom, who was called into the squad on Tuesday following the declaration of Bresnan's stress fracture.
Shahzad toured Bangladesh earlier in March but could not get an opportunity to play in either of the Test matches at Dhaka or Chittagong. But he is quite hopeful that this time he will get a chance to make an impression in first class cricket as well.
"I'm ready to go, if the nod is given to me. I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Shahzad told reporters at Old Trafford.
He said that he had never been involved with the English circuit at all, except the performance program in South Africa. So to be selected to tour Bangladesh last winter was a big hit for him.
He said that the conditions over there were quite difficult and made him think that all the wickets are not going to be quick, bouncy nor is it going to swing and seam every time. One has to put some extra effort in and focus on other areas of the game as well.
If Shahzad makes it, he will face a tough competition from his colleague, Steven Finn, who performed superbly well at Lord’s taking nine wickets and is quite confident to take the new ball besides James Anderson.
Shahzad appreciated Finny’s performance.
"Finn came on the scene and performed superbly well," said Shahzad. "Obviously, with his extra height, he's got something to offer that Andy [Flower] likes”.
With the remarkable exception of Finn, performance of English bowlers at Lord's was not up to the mark.
One of Shahzad's early defies possibly will be to keep Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh's most assured batsmen, under control. Tamim lit up Lord's with an exciting hundred off 94-balls in Bangladesh's second innings.
Earlier, Shahzad during his ODI debut at Chittagong in March has sacked Tamim for a first-over duck, but is well aware of the task that could await him. Shahzad praised Tamim’s batting style.
"I like the way he plays, and I would prefer someone to play like that rather than block against me," he said. "It was nice to sit at home and watch him play. If I get the nod hopefully I can get him out early doors".
Tamim, has given the credit to his coach, Jamie Siddons, for giving him the confidence and the license to bat in his own free-for-all style. "When I started playing Test cricket I was in two minds whether to go slow or go fast and originally I decided to go slow," said Tamim.
However that style, according to him, did not work for him. He said that this is the reason that his first 10 Tests were not good and could get only two fifties. Then his coaches advised him to perform in his own ODIs style and assured him he will not be blamed in any case.
“I know the way I bat sometimes looks fantastic, and sometimes looks ugly, but I am happy with the way I play my natural game,” said 21 years old Tamim Iqbal.
Which concludes as mentioned earlier that Finn’s performance was the only exception and the rest of the English bowlers at Lord’s were very disappointing. However as the English team has just come off the back of a one-day tournament it has been a little difficult for them to adjust. They did not have much of red ball practice, but the way James Anderson made a comeback at the end of the first innings at Lord's and Steven Finn’s fantastic nine wickets shows that they are forever favourites and still in their best form.
Tags: