Lesser England lights being put through their paces in hope of replacing hurt Broad

ADELAIDE - England fast bowling coach David Saker has taken captain Andrew Strauss’s missive of putting the foot on the pedal and not letting the Australians in to heart, as he is now preparing the second stringers in the squad for possible inclusion in the Perth Test.

In the wake of Stuart Broad being sent home with a torn abdominal muscle, the race is on to fill the vacancy created by his departure.

Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad are the ones vying for that crucial spot for next week’s third Test in Perth, The Age reports.

While Strauss has not given any hints as to who he would want as Broad’s replacement-the giant Tremlett, the steady Bresnan or the swing-bowling Shahzad, he did say the replacement would be selected based on performances in the match against Victoria.

The match begins at the MCG from Friday.

“I don’t think there is one [favourite] at the moment. All three of them did well against Australia A, all had moments where they looked very threatening, so it’s likely all three will play in Melbourne,” Strauss said.

He added: “We’ll see which one of them is looking the most potent and the most suited for Perth.”

The only time the three have been sighted in Australia was when they manned the England bowling attack against Australia A.

Tremlett took seven wickets for the match, Bresnan six and Shahzad three.

Height-wise Tremlett would be the natural replacement for Broad, although on batting ability Bresnan, a bowling all-rounder, would be the best fit. Shahzad, the youngest of the three, is also favoured because of his ability to get reverse swing. (ANI)