Worcs Jack Shantry is benefiting from Aussie experience

Shantry made 11 first-class appearances in the 2010 season

Worcestershire bowler Jack Shantry says a winter spent playing in Australia should help improve his game ahead of the new first-class season.

Shantry says he is enjoying the testing conditions he has found playing for Campbelltown Camden in New South Wales.

"It's a new challenge leading the bowling attack in Australia, where it generally favours the batsmen.

"I've settled in well my teammates and things are going very well," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

22-year-old Shantry broke into the Worcestershire side during the 2009 season before establishing himself last summer, taking 27 first-class wickets at an average of 35.00.

He admits wickets have been hard to come by on the batsman-friendly wickets but says it has been a great learning curve.

"I can't rely on the swing and seam movement which has helped me at Worcestershire.

"Bowling on unresponsive pitches and having to evolve as a bowler is probably just what Bumpy [Worcestershire coach Steve Rhodes] had in mind when we discussed me going away for the winter.

I'm not missing out on any pre-season training as I am in the gym five times per week while I am also swimming

Jack Shantry

"I am managing my workload with regards to bowling and I hope to peak at the same time as the rest of the boys and hit the ground running in March," he added.

Shantry admits he is not missing the freezing conditions of the English winter but he is keeping in touch with his Worcestershire colleagues who are in back in pre-season training.

He says he might be thousands of miles away from New Road but the coaching and fitness staff are still keeping a very close eye on him.

"I'm keeping in touch weekly with all of the non-playing staff, as are all the other players abroad," he said.

"In particular I have a lot of contact with Ross Dewar who is a fantastic strength and conditioning coach and his attention to detail has really helped improve my fitness.

"I'm not missing out on any pre-season training as I am in the gym five times per week, while I am also swimming and net with Campbelltown twice a week," he added.

The left-arm bowler admits that given recent events in the Ashes series, Australia is not a bad place to be at the moment.

"We've actually got the best chance of beating them in living memory at least as far as I'm concerned," he said.

"'Pom bashing' is de rigueur here anyway so regardless of whether there was an Ashes series on or not I think I would be copping a lot of stick."