James Tredwell's unassuming manner gives him the air of a Rotary Club chairman rather than an international sportsman, but for his mild-mannered ways he has quietly built a decent cricketing career with both Kent and England. He had racked up almost a decade of unswerving county service by the time England gave him an ODI debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2010 and his offspin - bowled in a more old-fashioned, slower style than is the norm among many of his international contemporaries - has given England stout service. Such is Tredwell's unfashionable air that he was content to talk ahead of an England tour of his hobby making home-made jam and chutney, and imagined packing a couple of jars to help him through his latest overseas assignment. In Kent in particular, they valued his gentle talents, backed up by excellent close catching and some useful lower-order batting. As Vic Marks wrote in The Guardian: "James Tredwell is not and never will be a superstar. He is the journeyman's journeyman and a fine antidote to the celebrity cricketer."

Tredwell's progress as an offspinner was steady rather than spectacular but he had a steady temperament and ability to vary his pace good habits can bring rewards and they started to come thick and fast. He was named county captain at the end of the 2012 season, following Rob Key's decision to stand down, and then several impressive performances for England's ODI team in India during the winter of 2012-13 reinforced his position as Graeme Swann's understudy. England's interest did not extend to Test cricket: he won a solitary cap against Bangladesh in Dhaka and, following Swann's sudden retirement during a Test whitewash in Australia in 2013-14, England looked elsewhere the following summer. Tredwell's form in first-class cricket had become less impressive than in the shorter formats and, under challenge at Kent by the tyro Adam Riley, he even accepted a loan spell at Sussex in 2014 in search of regular cricket before returning to kent at the end of the season.

It was as a limited-overs cricketer that Tredwell made most of his early appearances for Kent but by 2003 he was representing the county in both forms of the game on a regular basis. He captained the England Under-19s side and led Kent second XI to success in the Second XI Trophy final of 2002 when he scored 111. His obvious potential elevated him to a place in the ECB National Academy squad for 2003-04, where he found himself captaining the squad in difficult circumstances following the withdrawal of Alex Gidman. His performances earned him a call up to the England Performance Squad in the winter of 2007. He was subsequently rewarded with inclusion in England's one-day squad for their tour of New Zealand in 2008.

Tredwell didn't get a game on that tour, but steady performances with the England Lions and Kent, including a career-best 123* against a touring New Zealand side and 69 wickets in the County Championship in 2009 kept him in contention. He was called up as cover for Swann during England's tour to South Africa in 2009-10 and, although once again he did not feature in a starting XI, he was included in the Lions tour to UAE in February 2010. His consistent performances booked him a place in England's squad to tour Bangladesh in February and March 2010 and he finally made his debut in the second Test at Dhaka, taking six wickets in England's nine-wicket win.

That remained Tredwell's only Test appearance going into 2013 but he was one of four spinners chosen for England's tour of Sri Lanka in March 2012 and he played a part in the one-day series against Australia and South Africa that summer. With Swann rested, he made his T20 international debut in India in December and then followed that up with 11 wickets in the ODIs that followed after Christmas. An established England career was set in motion. Somehow, his presence made life seem a little more gentle.
ESPNcricinfo staff