Trent Bridge unlikely to be `swinger`s paradise`

James Anderson says that he has been warned by his fellow bowlers Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad that Trent Bridge is unlikely to live up to its reputation as a swinger`s paradise.

London: England bowler James Anderson has said that he has been warned by his fellow bowlers Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad that Trent Bridge is unlikely to live up to its reputation as a swinger`s paradise during the opening Ashes Test.

Anderson has taken 39 of his 307 Test wickets in six appearances in Nottingham since 2003 at an average of less than 18, helping England to win five of those matches, including convincing victories in each of the last four. However, Swann and Broad have complained that conditions at Trent Bridge this season have not been favouring the Nottinghamshire seam bowlers, with the last two County Championship matches at the ground petering out into draws. Stating that according to reports, the ball has not swung as much as before in the Trent Bridge ground, Anderson said that the pitch is flat and dry, for which they cannot say what to expect in that place until they get there and practice. However former Test wicketkeeper and long-serving Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read said that there still might be a large amount of spin and reverse swing at Trent Bridge this year early on with the new ball due to the unusual dryness of the ground, along with a good deterioration of the wicket. Stating that England will be able to exploit the conditions at Trent Bridge as they did in the ICC Champions Trophy and the 2005 Ashes series, Read also said that Anderson, Broad or whichever bowler gets picked will not be overly concerned as they have shown that they are a great outfit whatever the conditions are. However, Read admitted that the ground has been changing for the last three or four years probably due to the new outfields, adding that even though Trent Bridge is good at absorbing water from rain, the theory is that it is also sucking out moisture from the square. Read also said that he thinks that for the majority of England`s games this year, there has been less moisture in the Trent Bridge ground for which it has been giving less assistance to the quick bowlers. ANI