BROAD TENT BID FOR SRI LANKA

STuART BROAD hopes to be given the chance to prove his fitness for the tour of Sri Lanka by bowling in a heated tent at Loughborough next month.

As Sportsmail revealed last week, England are considering resting their 433-wicket Test bowler as they look to manage fastbowling resources ahead of next summer’s Ashes.

Test captain Joe Root will meet national selector Ed Smith and James Taylor at Trent Bridge today — joined by coach Trevor Bayliss from Sydney via Skype — to select a 16-man Test party. A rib injury means Broad is not fit now, but he should be by the second week in October when the tent will be up at Loughborough for England Lions to practise in ahead of matches in the uAE.

England’s struggles to take 20 wickets in overseas Tests came to a head last winter when they were thrashed 4-0 in Australia.

Root would like James Anderson and Broad in addition to left-armer Sam Curran and leg- spinner Adil Rashid. Extra pace will come from Olly Stone or more likely Jamie Overton.