It was billed as a “shoot-out” between England’s back up seamers to decide who would replace the injured Stuart Broad for the third Test in Perth.
But after three awkward days in Melbourne against Victoria, which yielded just one wicket between them, the selectors will be just as puzzled as they were at the start of the match.
Tim Bresnan was the man who struck, snaring Ryan Carters during Victoria’s first innings. But that was as good as it got for the England quicks, whose threat quickly fizzled out.
Bresnan remains he favourite to make the side for Perth, mainly due to his greater experience and ability with the bat. Chris Tremlett has the build to take advantage of the bouncy Waca pitch, but a quiet game may persuade the selectors that he isn’t quite ready for a recall.
Ajmal Shahzad was always the wildcard option having began the winter with the A side. A flurry of wickets may have tempted the selectors to throw him in, but match figures of 0-75 are unlikely to have earned him a staring place in Perth. The Ashes betting offers suggest England will look for a bit more experience.
It was wicketkeeper Matt Prior who stole the headlines with a gutsy century on the final day. A top order collapse saw Prior come in with the score 55-4 chasing 311 for victory and anyone who has bet on the Ashes should pay attention to the way Prior turned things around.
But with that target beyond them Prior played for the draw, taking 20 overs to make it from 75 to 100. It maintains England’s unbeaten run down under though and means they can head to Perth full of confidence.
Quite who will be lining up in place of Broad though remains to be seen – a golden opportunity to stake a claim has been missed by all three of the contenders at the MCG.
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