test2wa

New Zealand International

New Zealand will be spared a peppering by Steve Harmison in the second npower Test at Old Trafford.

New Zealand will be spared a peppering by
Steve Harmison in the second npower Test at Old Trafford - and it only
emphasises how well stocked England are for pace as far as Kiwi coach John
Bracewell is concerned.

Durham fast bowler Harmison has been left out of England's last three Tests and
was even overlooked after breaking Matthew Hoggard's thumb last week.
Hampshire giant Chris Tremlett was picked instead despite Harmison, 29, having
a good recent record in Manchester.

He took 11 wickets, including six for 19 in the first innings, in a 2006
demolition of Pakistan and took a further six against West Indies last summer.
"England have got some pretty good depth in their bowling at the moment,"
said Bracewell. "You have got guys who you are not even using who are pretty
talented as well."

Of the bowlers that New Zealand faced in the 2006-07 Commonwealth Bank Series
and subsequent World Cup, Andrew Flintoff and Liam Plunkett are out injured and
Sajid Mahmood is out of favour.

Then there are two men trying to prove points from outside the England
environment: Graham Onions, coming through as one of county cricket's most
dangerous pacemen; and 2005 Ashes hero Simon Jones, coming back after long-term
injury.

Bracewell reflected: "We were pretty impressed with the pace of Onions in the
Lions game, we have seen Mahmood and Plunkett over the last 12-18 months and
were pretty impressed with them as well.

"You've got some pretty good depth, then you've got Jones lurking around,
getting wickets as well.

"He looked reasonably sharp the other night on TV, so you're not short on
resources are you?"

Meanwhile, both sets of bowlers involved in the current three-match series,
which stands 0-0 after the weather-hit Lord's stalemate, are bemoaning the lack
of swing from the 2008 batch of Duke's balls.

The reserve balls at Lord's, selected after the initial ones became soft and
misshapen, produced greater aerial movement - they were initially used in
matches in 2007.