Why the Duke swings so much at Trent Bridge

Evans of Maber Architects in Nottingham has been the guiding light in the rebuilding of Trent Bridge, making it the most enchanting Test ground in this country outside of St John's Wood. According to the locals it is the construction of the new stands that has made Trent Bridge an even more fecund hunting ground for swing bowlers.

It is because they learnt something utterly pivotal to their hopes of hanging on to their status as Test's cricket best team. This was that it may not be quite enough for them to win back their old appetite for the battle – and at least some of the confidence in supreme talent that first enabled them to conquer the world. They might just have to face up to the fact that here, at Edgbaston and then in the fourth Test at The Oval, they have opponents who have developed a resilience that may indeed be nearing world champion levels.

Keeping in mind the English conditions and the pacemen at our [India's] disposal, I'd go for someone who can take wickets and yet bowl longer spells with discipline. Someone who could swing the ball but also bowl reasonably quicker than Praveen, for two of the same kind won't help. The first name I’d throw in for consideration is Rajasthan's Pankaj Singh, who was also the highest wicket-taker in the last first-class season. He’s tall, gets the ball to swing both in the air and off the surface, and can bowl for long spells ... Since the Duke ball used in England is quite similar to the SG Test used in India, he won’t even take time to adjust. But if we are looking for sheer pace to unsettle the batsmen, our search shall start and stop at Umesh Yadav.

Fletcher insisted on improved fitness and better fielding, which go hand in hand, when he became England coach and he will have looked upon the relative fitness levels, and fielding ability, between England and India last week with some discomfort. There is a passage in Fletcher's autobiography, for example, about Tufnell's fielding practice in South Africa in 1999, where he takes the spinner to task for failing to buy into his demands. "It doesn't matter who you are, you've got to put the work in," he says after running Tufnell to the point of exhaustion.