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Lord's revival due to change in approach - Swann

Graeme Swann believes England aren't intimidated at Lord's anymore © Getty Images

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Graeme Swann believes England managed to turn around their form at Lord's by treating the ground with the same reverence as their opponents.

England are set to kick off their Test series against West Indies at the London ground on Thursday, with Swann expected to play a key role as the host's main spin bowler.

England had not won in seven appearances at the storied ground prior to Swann's debut in 2009, but have since gone on to record five wins and a draw as the home of cricket has become something of a fortress for Andy Flower's men.

Swann believes the revival in fortunes has been due to a change in approach to playing on the ground; he believes players no longer succumb to the pressure of emulating the illustrious history of the venue, but instead embrace the challenge of trying to create some of their own.

"Lord's is strange," Swann told the Times. "I think we were guilty of being overawed by all the history.

"Touring sides were lifted by the idea of putting their names on the honours boards and being there for life. We thought that was the way we should view it.

"This is Lord's, not Derby on a wet Tuesday. It is a place where we should really look to leave our mark."

England do not come into the latest Test series in the greatest form, however, having struggled against both Pakistan and Sri Lanka in recent tours. Swann believes those disappointments were due to underestimating the opposition, not overconfidence.

"I just think we were surprised by how good they were," he said. "We had got used to winning Test matches, suddenly we were 1-0 then 2-0 down, and it was foreign territory to us."

Swann is known as the most vocal member of the international setup, a reputation he lived up to with recent coments describing Sri Lankan Dilruwan Perera as a cheat - after he refused to walk for a low-catch in a tour warm-up game - and accusing the English media of embarking on a "witchhunt" against run-shy captain Andrew Strauss.

It is an approach he is not considering changing.

"I do enjoy having my say and when that opportunity comes along, I tend to take it," the 33-year-old said. "I try to be honest, and sometimes it gets you into trouble, but I do not purposefully court bad publicity.

"I think when you get to my age you can be a bit more honest."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.