Bresnan fear for tour start

Tim Bresnan appears unlikely to feature in England’s first warm-up match on their tour to play Pakistan in Dubai after suffering pain in his elbow in the nets.

The Yorkshire seamer had surgery on the joint at the end of November and had what was described as “minor discomfort” at nets on Wednesday.

Following England’s arrival in the United Arab Emirates, they will face an ICC Affiliate and Associate XI in a three-day match starting tomorrow.

Bresnan was told to rest yesterday but a team spokeswoman stressed that England’s medical staff are neither surprised nor concerned yet about Bresnan’s level of fitness. “He is unlikely to play in the first tour match,” she said. “But there is no great concern about it at this stage.”

Steve Finn or Chris Tremlett are the likely replacements if Bresnan is ruled out.