Kent captain James Tredwell is hoping he gets the opportunity to play after being called up for England’s Test tour in New Zealand.

The 30 year old was called into the squad late on Tuesday night when Graeme Swann was ruled out of the rest of the series with an elbow injury that will require surgery.

Tredwell was then given just 48 hours to pack his kit and make arrangements to be heading back down under after returning to Kent just ten days previously from the One Day International and Twenty20 series against the Kiwis.

With his journey starting at 10pm on Thursday night, Tredwell will spend 30 hours making his way to Dunedin to join up with the squad, taking in Singapore, Sydney and Christchurch along the way as he clocks up the air miles.

When he finally lands there, it’ll be day four of the First Test and the Kent spinner told KSN how he will have to negotiate jet lag once again having only just got over it:

“I’d just got over the jet lag of being home for just ten days and then it’s a case of being back on the plane and doing it all again.”

“It’s been slightly disruptive, but thankfully this trip isn’t so long. I’d made plans to be around at home and Beth, my wife, has had to make alternative childcare arrangements for the days she is working.”

“I would have been around to look after our son Jacob, so we had to hastily make plans once the call up came.”

Like a lot of cricket fans, Tredwell was anticipating watching the game start on Tuesday night when word filtered though that Swann was out and he then got the call to say he was going:

“There was no indication whatsoever that I’d be heading back over there and although I was never officially on standby, I always am to some degree.”

“You always have it in the back of your mind that you might get a call and I did about ten o’clock on Tuesday night just as the news was breaking that Swanny was out.”

“He went there with every intention of playing and his injury has arisen through the course of the practice match.”

“It’s been my story with international cricket. I’ve been sat generally behind Swanny and the oppotunities that have arisen have been when he’s been rested or injured.”

“This is another opportunity and hopefully I can do the right things again and maybe get a game.”

“It wasn’t overly easy over there for the T20 games on a couple of the grounds we played at in terms of the boundary sizes. I don’t think I’ve done myself any harm over the winter, that’s for sure, so I have got to get over there and do the things off the field that will set me up if I get chance to play.”

Tredwell has been praised in recent weeks for his ability to slot straight into the side at short notice, but the 30 year old was keen to stress how he plays little attention to the all the plaudits:

“It’s great that people say such nice things about you, but we all know how quickly that can turn around. I am just trying to take each step as it comes, what has gone has gone and I need to put the performances in the nets and in the gym to show what I am made of.”

With Swann already likely to be out for some months, attention has already turned to the back to back Ashes series against Australia, but Tredwell remains keen to focus on one day at a time and insists Monty Panesar is in pole position to replace Swann in the Test side:

“There’s another guy in the picture at the moment that’s getting his opportunity in Monty and he did really well in India. It would be wrong of me to say I will be playing in the Ashes when there is someone of such quality in the group along with other spinners in and around the county system and involved with the Lions.”

“You’re never guaranteed anything in sport and you have to concentrate on what you are doing for when that opportunity does arrive.”

Having been home just over a week, Tredwell was just starting to get acquainted with his new role as Kent skipper after Rob Key stepped down and now he will have to revert to communicating with the squad over the internet.

Despite being away until the end of the month, Tredwell believes the side will be in good hands and that things should now run smoothly in his absence:

“Being around the lads this last week has been enjoyable and I was just starting to get my teeth into what we are trying to do.”

“I’m sure that the programme that Jimmy (Adams) has put in place for the lads is going to be a good one and I wouldn’t have had too much input into that.”

“I guess the only difference with the lads is they haven’t got that captain figure within the group.”

“We’ve got a lot of senior players though and they will take their own leadership roles and the younger players will feed off that.”

“For me, we have been speaking about what we are going to do and how we are going to do it over Skype throughout the winter and we will have to just carry on like that for the next few weeks too.”

With Tredwell likely to play some significant part for England over the next twelve months, thoughts at Canterbury have already turned to who will replace him as skipper in his absence and the spinner said there were a number of good candidates up for consideration:

“I get a fair amount of input I’d imagine and we have discussed it, but I don’t think we will name someone as a solid vice-captain.”

“We’ve got a number of senior players within the group that could easily step into the role as well as a couple of junior guys.”

“I don’t think it is important that we physically name someone, but there will have to people that take charge of the practice games over pre-season and they will be the guys in pole position to take on the role if the situation arises that I am away throughout the season.”

“I’m sure there are several people that have similar thinking to me as to how we want the group to progress and I guess those are the kinds of guys that are in our thoughts.”