England’s Swann fears second operation on elbow injury

The off-spinner has already had one bout of surgery on the problem joint, and more recently has been prescribed rest – and then a pain-killing injection – to try to manage the chronic injury.

The 33-year-old reports no significant ill-effects in his arm from his 51 fruitless overs in England’s innings defeat against South Africa at the Oval last week.

But as he begins his preparations for the second match of three in the Investec series, at Headingley on Thursday, he accepts further surgery is by no means an unlikely prospect.

“That is my worst fear, at the minute,” he said. “When I had surgery before, it was 10 times the problem it is now.

“It is not quite right – but it hasn’t been quite right (for some time).”

Swann is able to get through long spells, but an exhausting international schedule allows precious little respite for a player central to England’s plans in all three formats.

“It is not hindering (my game),” he said. “There are bits of floating bone in there, which are too close to the nerve.

“I had all the other pieces taken out, but the surgeon said he had to leave these.

“He said they may cause you a bit of grief now and then.

“It is little things like, if I hold the phone too long with my right hand I can’t use my arm for a couple of minutes – it just goes dead.

“During the one-day series – the Aussies or the West Indies, I can’t remember – it was really starting to ache.

“The break we had since really helped.”

England must hope Swann can get through the rest of 2012, before the possibility of a rest for some staff during limited-overs trips to India and then New Zealand between Test series.

He does not want to sit out matches, but would much prefer that to going under the knife again.

“If it keeps deteriorating I will undoubtedly have to miss some cricket.

“It’s not really deteriorated in the last three or four weeks – it feels better than it did. I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

“I’m hoping not – because realistically, if I look at the age I am, if I can just get to the end of my playing days and my arm falls off the next day... I’m quite happy with that. I don’t want to have another operation if I can help it, because it’s horrendous.”

Chris Nash plundered his second hundred of the season against title-chasing Nottinghamshire to secure Sussex a draw on the final day of their LV= County Championship Division One match.

He made full use of a Trent Bridge pitch offering nothing to the bowlers to hit 162, including 22 fours and one six, in an innings lasting just over six hours, sharing in an opening partnership of 216 with Ed Joyce (98).

By the time Nash fell to Andy Carter Sussex were only 35 behind and despite losing Luke Wells (59) and Mike Yardy shortly after tea, the two sides settled for a draw with Sussex finishing on 385-5.

Warwickshire were held to a draw by stubborn Surrey batting at Edgbaston, Zafar Ansari unbeaten on 83 in 202-3.