Steven Finn is taking nothing for granted despite leading England to a convincing Test win over Bangladesh.
Debut star on Old Trafford Test
Steven Finn is taking nothing for granted despite leading England to a convincing Test win over Bangladesh.
The 6ft 8in bowler has impressed fans with his pace and bounce that suits the conditions England will be facing in their Ashes tour in the winter.
This combination has left many writers and commentators already claiming that he is guaranteed a place on tour.
However, the Watford-born seamer is concentrating on the second and final npower Test match against Bangladesh.
"There is a lot of hard work (ahead) for me, because there are guys to come back in who are ahead of me in the pecking order," he said.
The Old Trafford Test match begins on Friday and Finn is hoping to continue staking his claim.
Consistency
"Fundamentally, it's up to me to make it difficult for the selectors to drop me - whether I do that that playing for England or through consistent performances for Middlesex throughout the season," he said.
Finn took a five-wicket haul on Test debut during the second innings at Lord's and took the man of the match crown in the process, he hopes the Old Trafford condition will suit him even more.
"Of course Old Trafford appeals to me - after playing in Bangladesh and a relatively slow wicket out here," he added.
Finn was the star bowler and Jonathon Trott's first double century with support from captain Andrew Strauss prevented the visitors from gaining an unlikely draw.
The returning skipper hinted that Finn might find the Australian pitches might suit someone of Finn's stature.
Conditions
"If you look at bowlers who take wickets in Australia, those kind of heavy hit-the-deck bowlers trend to do well - Glenn McGrath has a reasonable career there," said Strauss.
However, Finn's Middlesex team-mate had a word of warning for the 21-year-old.
"There is a lot of water under the bridge before them. I hope we have a full compliment of bowlers to pick from - with the likes of Stuart Broad and Graham Onions to come back," said Strauss.
Finn's performance may have been the highlight of the Test for England, but Bangladesh feel they are going to pose problems for Finn and co in Manchester.
Captain Shakib Al Hasan feels that they are edging closer to competing at the top of Test cricket.
"We are not depending on one person," he said.
"Tamim (Iqbal) played a fantastic game at Lord's. But it was not only him - Junaid (Siddique) and Imrul (Kayes) face a lot of short balls but showed their character," he added.
The second and final npower Test begins on Friday at Old Trafford.
