Towering bounce brings comparison with West Indian great Garner

Tremlett added four more wickets on day two of the third npower Test to his two yesterday to record career-best figures of six for 42 in Sri Lanka's 177 for nine at the Rose Bowl. His towering bounce and sideways movement under leaden skies at his former home ground helped England all but bowl the tourists out, despite having lost almost 120 overs to bad weather.

Saker did not dissuade comparison with the great and almost equally tall West Indies fast bowler Garner, as he sought to put Tremlett's giant strides into context.

He recalled too that he knew almost immediately when he saw Tremlett bowling in the Oval nets last August - by invitation before last summer's third Test against Pakistan - that he had a talent England could not afford to ignore.

Saker's judgment, formed after two deliveries at Kevin Pietersen, was proved spot-on in last winter's Ashes and again here as Tremlett remains on an upward curve in his second coming as an international cricketer.

Saker said: "He's been fantastic for us. He needs to keep improving and (he] had some spells at Lord's (in the second Test] that weren't quite right, but he's proven to a lot of people he belongs in Test cricket."