Graeme Swann

At 45 years old, Graeme Swann has this physical status:

Graeme Peter Swann (born 24 March 1979) is a former English cricketer who played in all three formats of the game.

He was born in Northampton, and Sponne School in Towcester, Northamptonshire, was academic.

He was primarily a right-arm offspinner and also a good late-order batsman with four first-class centuries, and he was often fielded at second slip.

He played for Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, before moving to Nottinghamshire in 2005. In 2000, Swann played in a single One Day International against South Africa before losing his place in the team.

He was selected to travel with England in Sri Lanka as the team's second spin bowler, along Monty Panesar, and then landed a permanent spot in England's Test squad, following England's 2–1 victory in the 2009 Ashes.

He became the first English spinner to take 50 wickets in a calendar year in December 2009, culminating in back-to-back man of the match awards in the first two Tests of the tour of South Africa and ranked third in the world rankings for bowlers.

He was named ECB Cricketer of the Year in May.

Swann was one of England's 2011 squad that captured the No. 2 prize. The No. 1 ranking in Test cricket is 1, and the No. 1 was between July and October this year. In ODIs, there is one ranked bowler. He retired from international cricket with immediate effect on December 21st 2013 following the 2013–14 Ashes series loss.

Swann appeared on the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing after he had resigned.

Personal life

On January 29, 2010, Swann married Sarah. They and their three children live in Nottingham. On the BBC's Football Focus, he said he supports Newcastle United and Blyth Spartans football clubs.

He is the lead singer of Dr. Comfort and the Lurid Revelations, a rock band that performs cover songs in Nottinghamshire.

He was arrested after giving a positive breath test on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2010. He was charged in June to appear in court in August, and told the court that he was on his way to buy screwdrivers in order to rescue his cat from underneath the floorboards. Due to his cricketing commitments, the trial had multiple adjournments before it was dismissed in February 2011, on the grounds that the blood sample could not be used as evidence.

Swann was a summariser for the BBC's Test Match Special in February 2014.

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Career

Swann began his domestic life for Northamptonshire. He was a member of the U-19 World Cup winning team in 1998, a tournament that took place in South Africa (alongside future England players Owais Shah and Robert Key).

Wisden commented,

Swann was brought into the England squad for the final Test against New Zealand in 1999. He did not play, but he was involved in an ODI against South Africa after a injury to Ashley Giles. This tour ended early in his time as a result of oversleeping.

Swann scored his first-class score of 183 in 2002, completing a 318 match with Northants captain Mike Hussey (310 not out).

He moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005 and finished the season with 516 runs and 45 wickets, leading to his return to England against Sri Lanka. Although England sank heavily in defeat during the first match, Swann took 34 to help win the second and three for 34 as England took the lead in the series.

Swann was unable to secure a position in the England ODI world after an unsuccessful tour of New Zealand, and he was unable to remain in England's ODI side consistently. He stayed in the team but against South Africa in his third match, Samit Patel, who had already had his first ODI five-wicket haul, met him in his first ODI five-wicket haul, faced stiff competition.

Swann made his Test debut against India in December 2008, dismissing Gautam Gambhir with his third delivery and Rahul Dravid with his sixth wickets, making him the second player in Test history after Richard Johnson (also for England) takes two wickets in his first Test over.

Following Panesar's poor form in the third Test of the West Indies, he was brought right into the Test fold in this match, scoring five wickets in two balls for 57 runs. This was Antigua's second best show by any spinner. In the first Test of the West Indian innings, Swann took five wickets.

In addition to his batting at 63 not out at 9, he took six more wickets in the first home Test of 2009 against the West Indies at Lord's. Devon Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Brendan Nash all had to be removed in the first innings for sixteen in five overs.

In the build-up to the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament, the England players were able to return to their counties after a one-day series against the same opposition. Swann gave a good account of himself in the World Twenty2020 bowling tidily for his five wickets "while still showing the passion for playing for his country that," according to journalist Nick Hoult.

Swann had enough in the year leading up to the 2009 Ashes to be named England's best spinner, defeating Panesar. The key point was not whether Swann would play, but which of Panesar and Adil Rashid, the other two spinners in the England squad, would play with him. He continued to participate in all five matches of the series. Panesar was selected for the first Test but his bowling did not impress and he was suspended for the remainder of the season, leaving Swann as England's only slow bowler.

Swann was out of 40 balls in the first Test at Sophia Gardens. His bowling was anodyne, failing to pick up a wicket in 38 overs in Australia's first innings, in which they amassed 674 for six centurions.

Swann was part of England's first-innings slump from 302 for 3 (Andrew Strauss 161) to 425 all out, and he was only allowed to bowl one out in Australia's first innings, when England's seamers combined to bowl Australia out out for 215. However, in Australia's second innings, after Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin had briefly made a mammoth 522-run target seem attainable, Swann and Andrew Flintoff (5 for 92) bowled Australia out, dismissing the primary wicket of Michael Clarke bowled out for 136 runs. Swann's first victory against Australia since 1934 came after the final wicket of Mitchell Johnson, who was bowled for 63 runs.

Swann was only required to bowl two first-innings overs at Edgbaston, but the team's first breakthrough was achieved when trapping Simon Katich lbw to bring an 85-run opening partnership to an end. England's lower-middle order put the team up by 113 runs, and on the final day, with Australia tying for first, losing only three wickets. With England chasing victory, he clean bowled Ricky Ponting with a dramatic turning offbreak.

Headingley Swann made a duck in England's first-innings loss to 102 all out, but didn't take a wicket in Australia's total of 445. He made a defiant 62 in the second innings but couldn't put an innings loss.

England also advanced to the Oval with the series level at 1–1 and with a victory over regaining the Ashes. Swann bowled Australia out for 160 after being joined by Stuart Broad (5 for 37). In England's second innings, he scored 63 runs, completing a 13-over-over-90 match with debutant Jonathan Trott (119).

Swann made England's first breakthrough in the fourth over the course of the day on the last day of the series, trapping Simon Katich lbw. He claimed figures of 4 for 120, bringing his total number of wickets to eight in the series, with Mike Hussey trapped at short leg by Alastair Cook for 121 to clinch the Ashes series. He finished the series with a total of 249 runs (fourth in England's list) at an average of 35.57, and 14 wickets (second among England's bowlers only to Stuart Broad).

In a seven-match ODI series, the two teams met each other following the Ashes. After losing the first six, England salvaged a win in the final game; Swann scored 5/28, his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.

England toured South Africa in December for a four-Test series. The series was forecast to be tense, with 1–1 being tied. Swann took 21 wickets on a field not traditionally suited to spin bowlers and was the highest wicket-taker on either side of the country. Ashwell Prince suffered in particular against Swann's bowling, and he was dismissed three times from five Swann deliveries. His lower-order batting was also very helpful, saving one game and one game, while Test-best knock of 85 in the first fixture was the highest score of the England innings. Swann finished his first full year of Test cricket, behind Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson, who ranked third in the world bowling rankings. Swann was given a tied man of the series award as well as Man of the Match awards in the first and second Tests, as well as Mark Boucher's.

In March 2010, England's next trip was a tour of Bangladesh. Swann took seven wickets off the ODI series, second behind seamer Tim Bresnan with eight wickets. England was expected to defeat the two-match Test series despite being weakened on a weaker team and taking the opportunity to kill new people. Swann took his first ten-wicket haul in Tests for the first time since Jim Laker took ten wickets against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956. The pitch at Chittagong offered little to fast bowlers, leaving Swann with the bulk of the workload. He was named Man of the Match and climbed to second place in the ICC's Test bowling rankings after his success, winning 10/217 from 78.3 overs. Swann was named Man of the Series after claiming six wickets in the second Test to lead England to a 2–0 whitewash.

Swann was selected in England's 15 man squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. Swann participated in all of England's matches, including the final against Australia, where he dismissed captain Michael Clarke for 27 on his way to figures of 1/17 from his 4 overs. Shane Watson was spotted in the slips after wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter parried the ball toward Swann in the field. Swann ended the tournament with ten wickets at an average of 14.40, with top figures against South Africa in the super eights. Swann's appearances received acclaim for his ability to adapt to the various aspects of the game and for his control over his bowling. He was named ECB Cricketer of the Year in May. The ECB's international career culminated in "one of the most productive years the England cricket team has ever known," with his attacking offspin and hard-hitting lower-order batting.

Pakistan toured England in August and September. Swann was never present in the four match Test series, which England defeated 3–1, but he was only allowed to bowl two overs in the first Test as the seamers bowled Pakistan out for 182 and 80. Swann was not present in the first innings of the second Test at Edgbaston, before taking Test-best figures of 6–65 in the second innings as England took a 2–0 series lead. Pakistan won by 4 wickets at The Oval, though Swann did not have match figures of 7–118. England won by an innings and 225 runs in a thrilling Test at Lord's, despite being 102–7 in their innings, with Swann taking 4–12 and 5–62. For the first time, his name appeared on the Lord's honours board for the first time, but the game was overshadowed by newspaper reports of Pakistan players being involved in spot-fixing.

During the winter season, England toured Australia, but England won the series 3–1 with Swann playing a key role in the series's conclusion. In the second test at Adelaide, he was successful, taking 7 wickets in the match and a match-winning 5 wicket haul. He ended the series with 15 wickets at an average of 39.80, a revenue of 2.72, and a strike rate of 87.6, with the former being his first appearance in the final test at Sydney. Graeme Swann played a key role in England's series victory down under, with control and his wicket taking skills as needed. As England's second highest-ranked bowler in world cricket and the highest ranked spin bowler, he ended 2010 as England retained and then won the Ashes series in Australia.

The 2011 World Cup in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka hosted the 2011 World Cup from February to April. In their 15-man squad, England selected three spinners, one of which was Swann. In the quarter-finals, England was disqualified. Swann finished as England's highest wicket taker in the tournament with 12 wickets from seven matches. In May, Sri Lanka toured England. England beat England in the first Test by 7/82. England took the second and third positions in the series after winning the first match. Swann was the second-most consistent bowler in the series, taking 12 wickets in the series at an average of 23.58, and was ranked as the second best Test bowler in the world. England defeated the following five-match ODI series 3–2. Swann took eight wickets and in the process, the No. No. was ranked No. 11. In the ICC's ODI bowler rankings, No. 1 ranked first. It was the first time since Steve Harmison had held the No. 1 bowler since 2004, when it had been. In either Test or ODI cricket, the 1st place is in first place.

In July, India went on tour. England defeated India as the No. 1 by winning the first three Tests. The 1st ranked Test team has been selected and has been promoted to their respective positions. From the first three matches, England's seam attack caused trouble for India's batsmen, leaving Swann with little to do and restricted to four wickets at a cost of more than 80 runs per match. However, England's fortunes in the final Test Swann's fortunes changed and he took nine wickets, including his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests, to help England win by an innings and tie the series in a 4–0 whitewash. A new face in India's squad for the forthcoming ODI series was supposed to be a challenge, but England defeated the series 3–0. With eight wickets, Swann was the most effective wicket taker in the series. In September, the West Indies toured for two T20Is. Both the regular captain and vice-captain, Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan, respectively, were hurt at the time, and Swann led the team in absence. In October, England toured India for five ODIs. Swann dropped to third place in the ICC's ODI bowler rankings after taking two wickets from four wickets and England losing the series 5–0.

England's tour of the UAE began with England's tour of the UAE, where they played three Tests and five ODIs against Pakistan. England lost all three Tests as their batsmen continued to adapt to Asian pitches, including off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's bowling. Spin bowling lost 75 wickets in the series on surfaces that were not suited to spin bowling. He took 13 wickets at an average of 25.07 and dropped to sixth place in the International Cricket Test bowling rankings. In the ensuing ODI series, England returned to complete a 4–0 whitewash, while Swann took two wickets from three matches.

Swann was one of 144 players who registered for the auction ahead of the 2012 Indian Premier League, but he was not one of three players whose reserve price was higher than any of the franchises; he was not bought by any of the franchises. In March, England toured Sri Lanka for two Tests. In England's victory in the second Test, the sequence was 1–1 and Swann took ten wickets. When the Professional Cricketers' Association named Swann England's Most Valuable Player of the Winter and awarded him a £2,000 draw, his contribution to the team was acknowledged. Swann said "It is nice to win any award, but it is especially rewarding to win one where you are compared to your coworkers on hard statistics."

In the press, South Africa's tour of England was portrayed as the match between the two best Test teams in world cricket. Despite the fact that England had lost to Pakistan and drawn with Sri Lanka in the winter, the English weather was expected to favour their seam bowlers and spin would play a less significant role in the series. For the first time in 43 Tests, England selected an all-speed bowling strategy, leaving Swann out of the team. Kevin Pietersen was called on to bowl 16 overs in the match and took 4 wickets with his part-time off-breaks and Swann was immediately summoned to the side. England lost the three-Test series 2–0, and South Africa took over as the No. No. No. The 1st ranked Test team. At an average of 77, Swann took 4 wickets (as many as Pietersen in one match). Swann was forced to miss the final three matches of the five game ODI series against South Africa due to a knee injury, and Kent spinner James Tredwell had previously filled in for Swann in ODIs when he was inactive or rested.

The 2012 ICC World Twenty2020 was held in Sri Lanka in September and October. England were the defending champions but were disqualified in the Super 8 stage after losing three out of their five matches. Swann played in all five matches, netting seven wickets and being the team's joint second-highest wicket taker behind fast bowler Steven Finn.

Swann was refused to travel with England on the tour of New Zealand in March 2013 due to a recurrence of an old elbow injury. Swann recovered well enough to return to the side when New Zealand toured England in May and June 2013.

Swann announced his retirement from all cricket on December 21, 2013 with immediate effect. In the Ashes 2013-14 series, England was 3–0 down.

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