James Tredwell could have picked better times to try and further his Test ambitions than in the shadow of England man-of-the-moment Graeme Swann.

The 28-year-old Kent off- spinner flies to Brisbane this weekend as a member of the England Performance Squad, determined to maintain his own form with ball and bat and show the selectors he is ready if his chance comes.

Having seen Michael Yardy get the nod as the second spinner in T20 and 50-over cricket and Monty Panesar recalled to the Ashes squad, Tredwell has been left waiting in the wings.

He said: "Picking Monty shows the England selectors are looking at different styles, meaning my chance will come if Swanny is injured.

"He has done fantastically well but I don’t think I did myself any harm when we played together in the Second Test in Bangladesh in March.

"We had almost identical match figures, earning the confidence of the management that I could fill his shoes."

Tredwell has got happy memories of Brisbane having played club cricket there for two-and-a-half seasons and hopes to catch up with a few old mates from his younger days at Folkestone.

The Performance Squad will link up in Brisbane with the main Ashes party, who will arrive there in about 10 days’ time from Tasmania.

They will play a four-day game alongside the First Test, against the Queensland Academy of Sport XI, before moving to Perth to play one-day and four-day games.