Swann takes aim at 'rollers' in English cricket

Don't confuse the spin imparted by the action of the bowler and turn off the pitch. The amount of spin - the number of times the ball revolves as it goes down the length of the pitch - determines not only the turn but the drift, flight, bounce, pace and dip of the ball. The actual amount of turn off the pitch depends on variables including the amount of spin imparted and the surface of the pitch. This is why Swann rates his spell at the MCG as his best - no lateral turn off the pitch. Kumble's action precluded him getting a lot of side spin but he did get a lot of over spin, leading to bounce, and he kept a lot of control. He imparted spin but did not turn it massively.

A roller of the ball is one in the style of Michael Yardy. This is not an attack on Yardy himself, as Yardy is actually a batsman for his County in England and he rarely bowls in first class cricket. It is only in ODIs that he is asked to bowl the style of rolling darts that he delivers for England.

So,according to Swann,We should've removed Kumble before he even got into the team.He says Murli and Warne are his ideals,but none of them took 10 wickets in an innings,which Kumble did.This is not in any way to disrespect Warne or Murli,or to say Kumble was better than them,but all individuals have a different style of playing,and may happen to be very successful with that.With all due respect to Swann,you can't compare him to any of the previous generation of spinners.Quality of spinners,and in general,quality of bowlers has greatly deteriorated over the last 10-12 years.

Posted by   on (April 19, 2011, 11:58 GMT)

Well said Shahryer Hussain & SunnyGIsGawd.

Posted by   on (April 19, 2011, 11:48 GMT)

Swann is an excellent bowler, the only problem is he hasn't bowled much on the flat, low and slow batsmen friendly pitches of India or Sri Lanka so he hasn't much experience of playing on these! which is why the Indian and Sri Lankan batsmen faired so well against him in the WC, the big test for him and the Indian/Sri Lankan players will be this summer when they face each other on pitches which bounce and turn quickly! then we will see who is any good.

@ElPhenomenemo-Having a go at Swann for only claiming 128 wickets in 'ten years' is disingenuous use of statistics and bordering on the outright dishonest. We are constantly told, for instance, that Subhash Gupte was better than Warne but he claimed 149 wickets in, yes you guessed it, TEN YEARS. Swann has played 29 tests for those 128 wickets at 4.4 wickets per game and an average of 28. Gupte played 36 tests for his 149 wickets at 4.13 per test and an average of 29. Yet one is apparently a turkey and the other is better than Warne. What's good for the goose is good for the gander my good man. If Swann is rubbish then so is Gupte. I don't have an axe to grind against either, so to me they both look like good sets of figures, but then I'm into cricket per se and not trumpeting the virtues of my team while running down all and sundry.

The bottom line is a bowler (spin/pace) has got to take wickets. Spinning the ball big does not matter, if you can deceive a batsman by other means. Just because Swann does it one way, does not mean that's the only way. As far as greatness goes, you have to be an English/Aussie/South African or do well against them to be termed great. By that measure, Swann is the greatest off-spinner the game has seen.

Those mentioning swann has got more wickets than anyone posting here are not coming off as bright people. Sometimes you need to understand people watching cricket can be just as insightful as these so called "pundits". It's happened many times in other sports as well. There have been a number of obscure cricketers who played 1 test and never saw the day of light on a cricket ground again. Does that mean they all know more than everybody posting here who spend thousands of hours watching and observing cricket? Make some sense at least.

Swann is severely overrated. For someone to have 128 wickets in about 10 years of cricket is a joke. I bet there are spinners in india who will never see what national team dressing room looks like could outplay swann. Its a bit similar to the wayne rooney being white pele obsession. I bet there are footballers in brazil who will never play for brazil national team and could make rooney look like an amateur.

Posted by   on (April 18, 2011, 18:36 GMT)

does everything in this forum have to be considered in the context of sub-continental cricket.

he made a very useful comment about english county cricketers. if his message forces some of the spinners operating in county cricket to think about spinning the ball more than they do, it is no bad thing.

yes, swann has a huge ego and can be annoying at times, but there's no denying that on recent performances he is the form spinner as far as test match cricket is concerned. he is a seasoned pro also and thoroughly qualified to talk about spin bowling even if he happens to be english.

Oh please. Stop this nonsense about Swann not being a "great". Has anyone seen him bowl actually? Did you see the drift he gets? For me he is the Shane Warne of Offspin. I am an Indian, and can tell you frankly, that Bhajji is no where near Swanny's class. Period.

@Sparth/sanath007. Swann's first Test series was against India in India. His first two wickets in Test cricket? Gambhir and Dravid. So yes he's played quality players of spin on the sub-continent. Have you?