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03 January 2025

Bresnan ruled out of Pakistan series

Tim Bresnan speaks with team doctor Mark Wotherspoon and physiotherapist Ben Langley during a nets session at the ICC Global Academy in Dubai. (GETTY)

Published
By AFP

England will be without paceman Tim Bresnan for their forthcoming Test series against Pakistan because of injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Monday.

The 26-year-old paceman, who still has soreness in the elbow which was operated on in November, had already missed England's opening three-day tour match against an ICC Combined XI which they won by three wickets in the UAE on Monday.

Bresnan took 16 wickets in the three Tests he played against India at home last year - a series which lifted captain Andrew Strauss's men to number one in the Test rankings.

An ECB statement said Bresnan's right elbow had "flared up" during his recent return to bowling following surgery to remove a bone fragment in November.

"I'm obviously gutted not to have an opportunity to play in the Test series but I knew that looking at my rehabilitation programme it was always going to be touch and go to get me ready for the series," said Yorkshire all-rounder Bresnan.

"I want to wish the squad all very best and the priority for me now is to get myself ready for the one-day series in February," added Bresnan, who in his 10 Tests has taken 41 wickets at 23.60 apiece.

Bresnan's place in the Test squad has gone to Durham seamer Graham Onions, already in the UAE as bowling cover.

Onions, 29, played the last of his eight Tests against South Africa in Cape Town two years ago.

England are due to play a Pakistan Cricket Board XI in a second warm-up fixture, also in Dubai, from January 11-13 before the first Test of a three-match series starts there on January 17.