Bracewell envious of England riches

There is no place for Steve Harmison in the England squad © Getty Images

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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 overlooked for this week’s encounter despite Matthew Hoggard’s absence with a broken thumb - an injury inflicted by Harmison on county duty.

Hampshire seamer Chris Tremlett was named in England’s 12-man squad despite Harmison, 29, having a fine recent record in Manchester.

He took 11 wickets, including 6-19 in the first innings, in a 2006 demolition of Pakistan and 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, emerging as one of county cricket’s most promising pace bowlers, and 2005 Ashes hero Simon Jones, on the comeback trail 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?”