broad’s woe sees finn up against yorkshireman

Yorkshire’s Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn are the standby seamers on tour and, unless the tourists opt to draft both men in and alter the balance of their line-up, they will be going head-to-head for a place in the side.

Bowling attributes

Bresnan has all the confidence to be expected from a Yorkshire paceman and despite his burly frame proved admirable stamina in Bangladesh two years ago – a big plus in the Sri Lankan conditions. He is not as obvious a wicket-taking threat as Finn but is better at drying up runs and can reverse swing the ball.

Finn’s strength lies in the extra yard of pace he has found in the last six months and his happy knack of picking up wickets, sometimes in the middle of average spells. Broad at his best is capable of attacking batsmen and keeping the run-rate down. England may now have to decide between the two.

Batting

Bresnan is a clear winner in this comparison. A genuine No 7, he averages 45 in Tests, has a top score of 91 and would ensure the side’s tail does not enlarge as a result of Broad’s departure.

Finn, on the other hand, averages only 8.75 in the longer format and has a best of 19. With James Anderson and Monty Panesar already in place as genuine tail-enders, picking Finn would provide an element of risk but at 1-0 down, England could choose to gamble.

Record

Finn has played 12 Tests to Bresnan’s 10 and has nine more wickets, with 50 to his name. He has already taken five wickets in an innings three times, to Bresnan’s once, and enjoys a superior strike-rate. Yet Bresnan revels in the fact that England have won all 10 of the matches he has been involved in and both his bowling average and economy (23.60 and 2.85) outstrip Finn’s (26.92 and 3.89).