England bowler Tim Bresnan has admitted that he feared his career may be over when he had surgery on his elbow earlier this year.

Bresnan first suffered the injury two years ago and, when an initial operation to cure him in December 2011 failed, he decided to have a second make-or-break operation.

Having now recovered from the latest bout of surgery, Bresnan believes that he is back to his best and hopes to prove that in England's upcoming Test series against New Zealand.

"I think you do [have doubts over your future]. A couple of hours before the op, it's like 'Well, this could go one of two ways. I might never play for England again, or play cricket again, or I might be back better than ever'. You've got to weigh up that risk and then just sort of decide 'Yep, eff it' and get on with it really," said Bresnan.

"I probably lost three or four yards. But I feel as though I've got that back. I can sit here and say whatever, but it's just as easy to show you.

"Without sounding over-confident, I can spin you a yarn and say 'It's all brilliant and roses and everything' - or I can just get out on the park and show you exactly what my pace is like. I've not been in front of a speed-gun, but it feels good."

Bresnan was named in England's 12-man squad to face New Zealand, although he is expected to be back up to the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn.