England have been dealt an injury blow ahead of the test series against Sri Lanka with the news that Tim Bresnan looks set to miss all three matches with a torn calf muscle.
The Yorkshireman has been heavily involved in all forms of the game for England over the last 18 months or so and he played a significant role in the Ashes win over the winter. It is therefore a major blow for England that he is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Sports betting pundits will tell you that it isn't a new injury for Bresnan either. He recently aggravated the torn muscle having originally picked it up during the one-day series against Australia earlier this year.
The ECB have stated that "a rehabilitation and recovery programme will be established in the coming days", but it is thought that he will not recover in time to play any of the three tests against Sri Lanka, the first of which is at Cardiff next week.
England have a strong squad though and they have plenty of bowling options to make up for the loss of Bresnan. In the end, it will probably come down to a straight shoot out between Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn for the final place in the team.
Bresnan was originally a replacement for Finn during the Ashes series, so it would make sense if the Middlesex seamer made his way back into the team. However, Tremlett was fantastic when he played in Australia, so it is a tough decision for the selectors.
With the rest of the front-line bowling attack fit in the shape of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, it may well be a decision based on what style of bowler they feel Andrew Strauss needs to help him guide England to victory over Sri Lanka in the first part of the English summer.
Tremlett has come on leaps and bounds in the last year or so and bowls with disciplined line and length as well as being able to hit the deck hard. Finn on the other hand is a little more erratic, but bowls from a similar height and seems to have the knack of taking regular wickets.
It is a tough decision to make, but a pleasing one in terms of strength in depth. Those placing sports bets on the Sri Lanka series believe that both players would contribute to the side. It is refreshing for England that they have the luxury of having a couple of decent options.
As for Bresnan, he will now concentrate on getting himself fit for the one-day series against Sri Lanka that follows the test matches and then the second part of the summer against India.
