Bresnan to miss England tour opener

England will be without all-rounder Tim Bresnan for Saturday's opening match of their tour of the United Arab Emirates.

The 26-year-old is still recovering from surgery to remove bone fragments from his right elbow just over a month ago.

Captain Andrew Strauss said Bresnan, who has not bowled in practice since arriving in Dubai with the squad on Tuesday, would not be risked in the three-day match against a team made up of players from cricket's second-tier countries.

"He's got some swelling following his operation," said Strauss. "It's making it a bit uncomfortable for him.

"With operations you can never be 100 percent sure how the recuperation is going to go but there are no long-term worries about it. Hopefully the recovery will continue and he will be ready for the second warm-up game."

Fellow paceman Chris Tremlett is also a doubt for Saturday's game because of a sore eye.

Strauss said England would approach the match, the first of two games they play ahead of the first test against Pakistan in Dubai starting on January 17, with high intensity.

"Like always we will be looking to use it to create some momentum early on the tour," he said. "We are not looking to ease into this fixture.

"I think that would be the wrong way to go. We are looking to hit the ground running and hopefully that will allow us to get out of this first game with a win."

Opposition captain William Porterfield of Ireland said his players were relishing the prospect of playing against the World's No. 1 Test team.

The tour is taking place in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns in Pakistan.