England have been give major boost ahead of the second Test by the availability of Tim Bresnan and a drop-in wicket likely to play in similar manner to those pitches England dished up during the winter Ashes series.
After demoralising England on the fast, bouncy Gabba wicket, the drop-in pitch is certain to aid England as they try to stop the Australian momentum.
The natural characteristics of the drop-in pitch is they tend to start with true bounce but get slower and lower as the game progresses.
This means the edges will not carry to slips, so LBW and bowled become the normal mode of dismissals.
In Brisbane, 14 of the English dismissals were caught behind the wicket or caught at short leg. Those forms of dismissals are highly unlikely in Adelaide.
Instead we are likely to witness imaginative fields in short covers and short midwickets for miscued drives or flicks and bowlers playing on batsmen’s patience.
If there is an area the England batsmen have an advantage over the locals, it lies in their ability to bat time and grind the runs out.
The drop-in pitch will certainly benefit the English more than the Aussies.
These sorts of tactics will play right into England’s hands and having Tim Bresnan back is a massive inclusion.
The Yorkshire man is not only England’s lucky charm but he best suited to bowling these nagging deliveries at the stumps and giving nothing away, as seen in the fourth Test in Durham.
The drop-in wickets tends to be quite abrasive, so reverse swing is also likely to play a part. It is a skill Tim Bresnan also thrives on.
Bresnan, along with Anderson, is England’s best exponent of the skill and with his limited overs experience, can use it to his benefit to hold up one end.
Bresnan is more economical that both James Anderson and Stuart Broad, with an uncanny knack of picking up wickets of batsmen who are well set.
In the recent Ashes in England, Bresnan dismissed the batsmen that had scored more than 15 on eight times out of his 10 dismissals.
Throughout his career he has claimed 26 out of 67 wickets of well-set batsmen (15 – 50).
Apart from this bowling, Bresnan’s ability with the bat does allow England to gamble with two spinners and two quicks.
Bresnan averages 30 with the bat and is more accomplished at dealing with the short ball than rest of the brittle lower order.
During the Ashes series in England, Bresnan’s 45 with the bat in the second innings at Durham provide beneficial, as was his gritty 38 at Lords when sent in as night watchman.
Bresnan will allow England to have that extra depth in a team that needs runs to boast their confidence.
Even if the Test match ends in a draw, the drop-in pitch is certain to boast England confidence.
If they can’t take advantage of it, it might not be worth crossing back the Nullarbor after the Perth Test.
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