Brisbane: Chris Tremlett will be given the chance to repeat his Ashes-winning performances of the last Australian tour when he completes England's bowling line-up in the eagerly anticipated first Test here at the Gabba on Thursday.
It now looks certain that England, in the absence of the recovering Tim Bresnan, will turn to Tremlett ahead of his fellow giants Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin to join Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad in the series opener at a Brisbane ground which is usually suited to pace.
David Saker, the fast bowling coach, would not confirm that Tremlett was the chosen one after three inconclusive warm-up matches but admitted that England had all but made up their minds over who should be the last piece in their first Test jigsaw. That man is Tremlett.
It is certainly his place to lose now even though his return to Test cricket after almost two years will come almost by default because of Finn's inaccuracy during the win in Sydney and Rankin's lack of top-level experience.
Normally, a tally of eight wickets in a match, as Finn achieved against an Invitational XI, would be enough to guarantee selection but England, who value control more than anything, are still concerned about Finn's capacity to leak runs. Those eight wickets cost 191 runs at more than four an over.
Tremlett, who has had to recover from serious back and knee injuries since playing against Pakistan in Dubai, looked down on pace in the tour opener in Perth but impressed in the SCG nets while Finn and Rankin toiled in the middle.
'Chris had two or three really good sessions in Sydney,' said Saker after England had swapped one rainy city in Sydney for another in Brisbane. We had a good chat about certain things. The nets were fantastic batting surfaces and he came out of those really well. I think he gained a lot of confidence. In the last week I've seen a big change in him.'
Saker is now confident that Tremlett, so unlucky with injuries over the years, will be as good as he was here three years ago when he took 17 Ashes wickets in three Tests, including the series clincher in Sydney.
'I think he's right on it,' said Saker. 'His training this week has been excellent and I know he's really confident he can do well. If he gets the nod I'm sure he'll do a good job.
'We're pretty clear which way we're going to go now but there's still a few days to go so I'm not going to name him. If someone wants to jump the queue they've got a couple of days to do that.
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Only if Finn or Rankin perform miracles in the nets over the next couple of days can 6ft 7in Tremlett be usurped now, even if he only keeps a place warm for Bresnan, who should be fit for the second Test in Adelaide, starting on December 5.
It will be a blow for Finn, who has been dropped during the last two Ashes series, but in truth his figures flattered him in the seven-wicket victory at the SCG and England are not prepared to buy Australian wickets expensively.
'Finny is still a work in progress,' said Saker, who conceded that none of the three candidates has bowled as well as he would have liked on tour.
'He's come back from some changes in his action which he's still trying to work through. Getting eight wickets was good but he needs more work, no doubt about that. We pride ourselves on trying to put pressure on batters and Steven is well aware of that.'
England are increasingly optimistic that Matt Prior, who damaged his left calf in the second tour game in Hobart, will be fit for the Gabba, so both teams are taking shape for the first Test of this return Ashes series.
Australia are placing a lot of faith in the mercurial talents of Mitchell Johnson, who had a nightmare in Brisbane at the start of the last series but who returned to great effect in Perth to get it right with the new ball.
Yet Saker, a straight-talking Australian, clearly has his reservations about the consistency of the man who can be a world-beater or hopelessly inaccurate.
'He bowled very well in India but we all know he's only one or two spells away from being quite erratic,' said Saker.
'We know that if we bat well against a guy like that we might get some good scoring opportunities. If he says he's going to take batsmen's heads off that means he's going to bowl short and if he bowls short he's not attacking the stumps so that's a plus for us.'
And Saker had a message for those who believe that Australia will target Tremlett - or whoever plays as third seamer - as England's perceived weakest link. 'Good luck with that,' he chuckled.
It is one of the last shots of the phoney war. The real deal is nearly upon us.
