Injury forces Bresnan to sit out Old Trafford Test

Tim Bresnan's injury-enforced absence at Old Trafford is a regrettable turn of events for England coach Andy Flower – because the Yorkshire seamer needs more Test cricket, not less.

Bresnan has had to be replaced in a 12-man squad by Ryan Sidebottom for the second Test, set to start against Bangladesh in Manchester, after suffering a stress fracture to his left foot in the eight-wicket victory England completed at Lord's.

There, Bresnan eventually took 4-169 against opponents who pushed England deep into the final day – and much harder than most expected.

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It is unclear at what point Bresnan began feeling discomfort, but the consensus was that he failed to do his talents justice on his return to Test cricket after his starring role in England's ICC World Twenty20-winning campaign last month.

Flower does not refute that impression but cites much mitigation – the difficulty in adapting skills from Twenty20's cross-seam, slower-ball and wide-angle tactics to more conventional fast-medium – and rues the timing of Bresnan's injury.

"He and I have discussed it at length, and it is no mystery," Flower said of Bresnan's teething problems, back in the five-day format.

"But I will say this before I talk about it – Tim Bresnan has improved his cricket in all sorts of ways over the last 12 months and he was a very important part of our Twenty20 win out in the West Indies.

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"He showed a lot of skill when he bowled and nous – he made very good decisions under pressure, and I thought he was very calm."

Bresnan also impressed Flower with his batting – at No 7, often a critical position in Twenty20 cricket – and the coach added: "He has had a really positive effect on the England cricket side.

"He is also a great man to have around. He has a good sense of humour and is well loved in the side."

It is all the more disappointing for Flower then that Bresnan will not be able to get play in Manchester.

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"He had a tricky Test match in that some of the habits he picked up playing the very short form of the game weren't necessarily great habits for Test cricket, and it's just going to take a while to iron those out," Flower added.

"I think it was pretty obvious (Bresnan going wide on the crease in delivery), and I think he will need to have a look at that and iron that out with his bowling coach.

"He will be fine. But it is a real pity that he has picked up this injury, because I was looking forward to seeing how he performed in Manchester on a bouncy wicket and seeing how quickly he could adapt back into being a Test bowler."