Chris Tremlett is producing shades of Joel Garner as he continues to deliver on the potential instantly spotted by England bowling coach David Saker.

Tremlett added four wickets on day two of the third Test to his two on Thursday, to record career-best figures of six for 42 in Sri Lanka's 177 for nine at the Rose Bowl.

His towering bounce and sideways movement under leaden skies at his former home ground helped England all but bowl the tourists out, despite having lost almost 120 overs to bad weather already in this match.

Saker did not dissuade comparison with the great and almost equally tall West Indies fast bowler Garner, as he sought to put Tremlett's giant strides into context.

He recalled too that he knew almost immediately when he saw Tremlett bowling in the Oval nets last August - by invitation before last summer's third Test against Pakistan - that he had a talent England could not afford to ignore.

Saker's judgment, formed after two deliveries at Kevin Pietersen, was proved spot on in last winter's Ashes and again here as Tremlett remains on an upward curve in his second coming as an international cricketer.

He said: "I just watched two balls and went up to England coach Andy Flower and said 'this guy is a Test cricketer. I don't know what's happened in the past, but if we can keep this guy on the park ...'.

"I had no hesitation he could play good Test cricket if he could get his body right."

Since Tremlett's move from his native Hampshire to Surrey last year, he has shed his apparent vulnerability to injury and begun to show his true colours, at the age of 29.

"I suppose after the last 12 months he's shown a lot of people in England he can do the job," added Saker.

Asked about similarities to Garner, he agreed: "He's got a lot of attributes like Joel Garner, height and good bounce.

"It's a big call to compare him with Joel but with that height and the bounce he does get, he complements Jimmy Anderson really well.

"He's been fantastic for us. He needs to keep improving and had some spells at Lord's (in the second Test) that weren't quite right, but he's proven to a lot of people he belongs in Test cricket.

"Guys with height always have a little bit of an advantage, and if you talk to some really good batsmen the bounce of a ball is so important in Test cricket. The taller guys can exploit that."

At present, Tremlett is doing just that.

"When he gets his length right, he's a real danger," said Saker.

"He's challenging the stumps, the gloves, the splice of the bat - and batters really struggle against tall bowlers who keep hitting the splice, regardless of length.

"All you need then is a bit of sideways movement that brings the rest of the fielders into play, as well as lbws and bowleds. He's been exceptional in the last 12 months.''

Tremlett has been helped by cloud cover over the past two days, as well as a surface which has been much more responsive than the one he himself remembers from his Hampshire days.

Speaking from a bowlers' perspective, Saker added: "It was very pleasing to see how much it bounced here, and if we had to wheel out a wicket week in week out that's what we'd like to see, with Stuart (Broad) and Chris in the team - and it helps Jimmy as well, if he gets a bit of bounce with that swing.

"But in Test cricket you're not going to get the same wicket so he'll have to adjust his length again, and the pleasing thing was he did that here."