Curator could mimic Edgbaston pitch

Australia and England expect the fourth Ashes Test will be played on another lively pitch.

The third Test was over before tea on day three, with both sides' batsmen largely struggling to knuckle down and score runs against a ball that seamed and swung at Edgbaston.

It was the first Ashes clash without a century since the SCG Test in 2007.

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The Trent Bridge Test pitch in 2014 was anything but a raging seamer, with 1344 runs scored in a draw between England and India as match referee David Boon slammed the strip as 'poor'.

It was the first time an English deck had been rated that way since the International Cricket Council's guidelines were adopted in 2010.

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England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) pitch consultant Chris Wood and a handful of other officials spent most of Tuesday milling around the middle of Trent Bridge.

But Mitchell Johnson doesn't expect any surprises after his side suffered an eight-wicket loss at Edgbaston.

"I'd say it would be pretty similar to the last wicket," Johnson said. "They did well there, so they'd probably want to prepare something similar. I'm pretty happy with that.

"The boys are saying it looks pretty hard ... hopefully we get a nice, bouncy wicket here again and I'm sure you'll see a few more short balls."

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Off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who worked as a groundsman at Adelaide Oval, suggested the weather in Nottingham might make it a slightly more docile deck.

"There's been a bit more heat here, which is going to dry it out a tad more," Lyon said. “I don't think it'll be quite as friendly as Edgbaston.”

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Stuart Broad agreed it was likely to be a similar pitch to Edgbaston.

"I remember the India Test last year we were looking at it two or three days out and going it is ready to go now. It was so dry," Broad said. "I don't think it is like that.

"The groundsman has worked extremely hard. He has been in contact with the Edgbaston groundsman as well. I thought that was a fantastic pitch.

"I am sure Trent Bridge will try and emulate that."

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