Tredwell still clings to Test hopes

James Tredwell is still harbouring hopes that he can be the man to fill England's spin void in the Test side even though he has lost his place in Kent's Championship team this season.

In a joint decision between Tredwell and Kent it was decided to withdraw him from four-day cricket after one early-season appearance when Tredwell admitted he was struggling with his game after a large diet of limited-overs matches. It followed a poor 2013 Championship where he took 17 wickets at 56.76 in 11 matches between his England one-day commitments.

He acknowledged that not being a regular in Championship cricket does not boost his prospects of adding to the one Test cap earned against Bangladesh in 2010, but believes that is partly countered by regularly being on show on the international stage even if it is in coloured clothes. He has claimed the scalps of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene among his six wickets in the series to date.

"I'm the guy who is in front of the coaches and Cooky day-in, day out and hopefully the way I go about it and the things I do in training and matches keep my name out there," he said. "I guess it's not ideal I haven't been playing four-day cricket, but I'm in front of them and hopefully that stands me in decent stead."

Tredwell explained he had found it difficult to adjust between the styles of bowling required for white-ball and red-ball cricket. He said he uses a more round-arm delivery in the one-day game and has struggled to regain the loop that is more effective in the longer format.

"In English domestic cricket you've always got a four-day game around the corner where you can bowl a 20-25 over spell to maintain that rhythm," he said. "But I've been away for longer periods where I've just been doing one type of skill - maybe that's my fault, maybe I should have been focussing more on that side of things. It's in there, I've just got to be able to pull it out again.

"Coming back into the four-day game is not always easy to switch from one to the other. When you are involved in one-day stuff you fully immerse yourself in that, so to be able to slip from one to the other I've found particularly difficult so we all felt I needed some time to get my mind and technique right."

His role in England's one-day outfit is far more secure. He has been termed "Tricky Tredders" by the team although "Steady Treddy" would be equally apt. When asked about his part in the attack after the Old Trafford match, Alastair Cook said: "You know what you're going to get from him time and time again. He had a few tough times in Australia and he's had to have a look at a few technical issues, but you know he is a clever bowler and he's never let England down."

Tredwell has played 20 of England's last 23 ODIs although in Australia he was wicketless in the three matches he played having previously become a target for the likes of George Bailey and Shane Watson in the series at the end of the last English season. More of the same will be likely at the World Cup. "That's the challenge in international sport," Tredwell said. "People work you out pretty quickly. It's about combating that."

A return to Test cricket will probably remain out of reach for Tredwell, but with such a strong focus on the one-day game over the next nine months he should have no reason to feel left out.