David Hussey urges Oz to 'play a spinner' in 'pace friendly' Trent Bridge

Australian cricketer David Hussey has said that Australia should contemplate playing a spinner in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, even though Australia has three fast bowlers and Shane Watson bowling in the Trent Bridge Test, they should still play a spinner, according to Hussey, adding that it is a simple formula for success in the Test.

Stating that a spinner can do a bit of a stopping role at Trent Bridge as he is underrated there, Hussey, a veteran of Victoria and Nottinghamshire, said that the spinners could have a defensive role in the Test and control the run rate by putting sweepers out on the boundary, which is a must because of the fast outfields in England.

According to Hussey, good players can make a lot of runs in the Trent Bridge Test if they fight hard, adding that the ground is the best cricket wicket in England even though the ball swings all day there.

Meanwhile, Hussey has told spinner Nathan Lyon to prepare to play a defensive role at the pace-friendly venue in the first Ashes Test, instead of getting discouraged by England spin-king Graeme Swann's underwhelming Test record at Trent Bridge.

According to the report, Swann has taken only three of his 222 Test wickets at Trent Bridge, and they have come at 65 runs each, despite it being his home ground, while Lyon has been the leading spinner on the tour with 12 wickets at 25.5 since arriving in the UK despite being rested for the Australians' tour match at Worcestershire.

Australia's quicks have talked of a good game ahead of the Ashes, and Trent Bridge is considered the venue most conducive to their intoxicating mix of pace and swing, the report added.