Michael Jackson?s child sex trial resumed yesterday with his defence lawyers champing at the bit for their chance to roll back 10 weeks of often-sensational testimony against the pop icon. But the question remains if he will testify at the trial. With the prosecution expected to rest its case by tomorrow at the latest, the Jackson camp will take over the courtroom driving seat and begin its assault on the allegations of alcohol-fuelled molestation that have dominated the trial thus far.

What, if any, last-minute surprises the prosecutors may have up their sleeves remains to be seen, but they will be anxious to close on a strong note before ceding control of the witness box. ?You really want to leave jurors with a good impression before you turn the case over to defense witnesses,? said legal analyst Andrew Cohen.

?Jurors already know the core of the case ... they know what the prosecutors are shooting to prove. Now the prosecutors have to just shore it up,? Cohen said. Jackson, 46, stands charged with molesting a 13-year-old in 2003, plying him with alcohol, and conspiring to hold his family captive until they helped rebut a damaging documentary in which the pop star admitted to sharing his bed with children. Far from shoring up their case, prosecutors last week saw its foundations rocked by the testimony of Jackson?s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe.