Cricket-Bresnan fit and ready to fire for England

SYDNEY, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Adelaide Oval is a tough place for seamers, let alone one returning from a stress fracture in his back, but England's Tim Bresnan is ready to handle the workload if selected for this week's second Ashes test. The bowling all-rounder was called into the test squad on Monday after travelling to Australia with the England Performance Programme and proving his fitness against Queensland's Second XI last week. "It's a massive boost for me," Bresnan told a news conference at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. "Obviously I'm excited to be back amongst it and available for selection. It's been very frustrating travelling with the guys and not being able to play in the warm-up games. "But yeah, relishing the chance, if I do get one at Adelaide." Although the Adelaide Oval will feature a drop-in wicket for the first time in a test, it is expected to be true to the tradition of the ground and offer little for the quick bowlers. Despite that, and his lack of match practice over the last three months, Bresnan was confident he would not let the side down if he got the nod on Thursday morning. "I wouldn't have my name in the hat if I wasn't ready," he added. "I'd just be letting myself down if I did get picked and I wasn't ready to play. It takes a great deal of honesty to say if you're not... but I think I'm ready to play. "I've bowled a lot, a lot of overs in the nets. Building up to full fitness, it does take a long while. "I bowled nicely at Brisbane in both innings and there's no reason why I can't take that into a test match." MENTAL FORTITUDE The 28-year-old sustained the injury during the first Ashes series of the year, which England won 3-0, but would return to a side already 1-0 down after Australia won the return series opener in Brisbane by 381 runs. "I'm quite a positive bloke, quite a positive player, so hopefully me coming back into the squad does give the guys a lift," he said. "I think the heavy defeat two weeks ago did dent us but I think we are a group of guys who, especially when our backs are against the wall, we come out fighting. "We've done it time and time again, especially when we've been under pressure and in a corner, that's when we show our mental fortitude." Bresnan is most likely to come in for paceman Chris Tremlett, who finished with figures of 4-120 at the Gabba, but said he had been given no indication whether or not he would play. "I think it was part of the plan I think," he laughed. "Throw you all off the scent." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)