London: England rising star Steven Finn has been told by Middlesex mentor Angus Fraser that wickets will be harder to come by in Australia than they have been so far in the giant quick's brief Test career.
And Fraser also questioned whether the 21-year-old Finn would feature in all five upcoming Ashes Tests as England bid to win a series 'Down Under' since a side captained by Middlesex great Mike Gatting triumphed in 1986/87.
Finn has taken 32 wickets in his eight Tests so far at an impressive average of 23.21. But four of those games have been against Bangladesh, one of world cricket's weakest Test sides, and six appearances in England last season, which also featured four encounters with Pakistan, were played under generally overcast skies and on pitches that tended to offer plenty of seam movement.
Such conditions are unlikely to be replicated in Australia even if the 6ft 7in Finn ought to be able to get the most out of any extra bounce on offer.
"I'm naturally a huge fan of his but he is not the finished product and there is still some work to be done on him - he knows that," Fraser, an accurate fast-medium bowler capped 46 times by England, said.
"I've spoken to Steve a little bit about bowling in Australia and we've worked in the nets a bit as well," added Fraser, who in his eight Tests in Australia during the 1990s took 29 wickets at 32 apiece. He knows that this (English) summer was possibly a bit flattering in the way that he bowled alright but maybe the opposition and the nature of the pitches made life a little easier. He's got a lot to improve on from what he did this summer to be successful Down Under."
But Fraser insisted his protege would not need to alter his basic approach that drastically. "The principles of fast bowling are the same wherever you go. You can complicate it and dress it up as much as you want but if you hit a good length hard out in Australia then you've got a chance. It is different with the Kookaburra ball which doesn't offer the bowlers much help so he'll find it a bit harder in that respect."
Although Finn is set to be in the side for the first Test, which starts at Brisbane on November 25, Fraser was uncertain as to whether the paceman would be ever present throughout the series.
"I'd be surprised if he played all five Tests because there are back to back Tests twice and there isn't a great deal of time at any stage to have a break. I'd like to think he has a very good chance of playing up front though - and going into the series he's in the side."
However, Fraser was confident Surrey's Chris Tremlett - another tall quick - could fill the gap. "If he can show the characteristics of desire and determination and combine those traits with what he's already got, then he can be a real surprise package," he added.
"He could come through quite quickly and put the other bowlers under a bit of pressure. If he gets it right and he's in the right place physically and mentally then he can be a real proposition because he's a tasty bowler."
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