Assistant Coach Paul Farbrace has revealed England are keeping their options open before selecting their line-up for the third and final Test against West Indies in Barbados.
According to Bowling Coach Ottis Gibson, the surface at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown is likely to be different to what they have experienced in the Caribbean so far, possibly offering more bounce.
Those conditions may see the tourists tweak their line-up, with the possibility of fielding two spinners, although Farbrace was keeping his cards close to his chest when addressing the media today.
The former Sri Lanka coach said: “It looks a very good pitch. It looks a dry pitch, hard and the suggestion is there will be a bit more pace and bounce in it than we have seen before.
“Ottis obviously knows this ground very well and he is saying exactly the same. It looks as though it is going to be a very good pitch. It looks as though there will be something for the bowlers.
Here is a look at the pitch which will be used for the third #WIvEng Test in Barbados: pic.twitter.com/UxR3VW1xcY
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 29, 2015
“It means that if spin was to come into play there will be more bounce for the spin. Historically there has not been a lot of spin here but there has been a bit of bounce.
“It is not going to be a case of taking your game from one to the next, people are going to have to get stuck in again and earn the right to play well. That is always the case in Test cricket.
“The six lads who didn’t play in the last game have worked incredibly hard and they want to play. No one is here to just make the numbers up, no one is here just to be on an England tour, they want to play.
“The passion and desire to play for England is immense from all of them. We have got really good options."
If England were to adopt two slow bowlers, Moeen Ali, James Tredwell and Adil Rashid would be vying for the starting spots.
Moeen replaced Tredwell for the previous Test, an England victory that moved them 1-0 ahead in the three-match series, while Rashid has yet to see any Test cricket on this tour.
Practice bright & early for England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados #WIvEng pic.twitter.com/gRUyRHtoMu
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 29, 2015
However, Farbrace believes the Yorkshire leg-spinner will be good to go if he gets the nod for Friday's match.
He said: “The second spin option is definitely there. Rash has worked incredibly hard in the last three or four weeks at getting his pace right and all the batters have been helping out, a bit like Belly did with Moeen last year.
“All the batters have been talking to Rashid about outing maybe a bit more on it, still spinning it, not bowling flat, getting the ball.
“He is bowling a little bit quicker but is still getting the ball above eye-line and still spinning the ball.
“And Tredwell had a very good game first game, a very James Tredwell game gave us great control, throughout the game.”