James Tredwell admitted he was not surprised to have been omitted from England’s squad for the forthcoming Ashes series Down Under.

The Kent skipper, 31, from New Romney, has previously made a single Test appearance in Bangladesh three-and-a-half years ago, however he had been linked with a place in the 17-man party after an impressive summer with the white ball for England and Kent.

However with the squad revealed on Monday afternoon, Tredwell was overlooked in favour of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, with Tredwell blaming his return of 13 wickets in 10 LV= County Championship Division 2 games, coming at an average of more than 60, for his omission.

He said: “I got a call from the selectors on Sunday, it wasn’t a long conversation, but if I’m honest it wasn’t unexpected.”

He added: “You never know what might happen, but I have not had the best of seasons in Championship cricket so I understand the decision.

“I thought maybe I might have been seen as an able back-up, but like I say, I understood the decision and I know the reasons why it was taken. That’s it.”

Tredwell also admitted to disappointment over the ODI series against Australia, which saw him take four wickets in the three games which beat the weather, though they came at a cost of 151 runs in only 20.2 overs.

Tredwell said: “They were not the easiest three games, but Australia played some good cricket.”