Graeme Swann retires

[SaintPowelly]

I'm going to take the positives from this, and hope Briggs raises his FC game to push for selection.

[Durhamfootman]

2 days ago I was going to put on the predict a headline for 2014, that former test bowler Swann had signed for Strictly.

I wish I'd done it now

What the heck.... I'm going to do it anyway

I just thought he'd retire at the end of the India series

I wonder if that opens the door for Borthwick to get in? he is in Australia and he can bat and field........ unlike some DL might care to name

[meninblue]

Interview
http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2 ... 02897.html

Who should replace him...
"I think Monty's going to come in and do a great job in this game coming up this week. Whoever ends up taking the role full time I think they'll do a great job as well. Personally I hope little Scottie Borthwick gets a chance before long. He's a legspinner with a bit of x-factor and he can bat as well. Despite supporting Man City and Sunderland, two of the worst teams in England, he's a good guy."


What he'll miss the most...
"This England team has been my family for the best part of a decade now. You spend so much time with guys who you love to pieces. It's going to be really hard not going to breakfast with a miserable Jimmy Anderson every morning, breaking him in slowly through the day and seeing a smile about tea-time. Things like that will be hard."


The future of the England team...
"We've got very exciting young players in England. Ben Stokes showed last week what a great player he is. I think he could be a player you could almost build a team around, not putting pressure on him - well, that is putting pressure on him I suppose - but if he can continue in the vein of form he started in, you could build teams around players like that."

Telling Alastair Cook of his decision...
"He is one of my best mates so it should have been a very easy conversation but it actually made it doubly hard, just to sit down over a coffee and blurt it out. It was like one of his team talks, it didn't make any sense. But I got it out in the end."

[Making_Splinters]

Borthwick seems to have focused on his batting, hitting over 1000 runs last season in the top order.

[SaintPowelly]

Borthwick seems to have focused on his batting, hitting over 1000 runs last season in the top order.

Same as Dawson, if Borthwick is in the running, Daws should be too.

[Aidan11]

Borthwick seems to have focused on his batting, hitting over 1000 runs last season in the top order.

That was more to do with Durham wanting him to bat up the order than anything on his part. I've felt his bowling has been underused the last two seasons.

[westoelad]

I was half expecting him to retire at the end of this Ashes series but to do so suddenly mid- series even though the ashes have been lost is a complete surprise - the expression rats leaving a sinking ship springs to mind. It may simply be,however, that the selectors have decided to go with Monty for the last 2 tests now the ashes have been decided. THE Aussies have targeted Swann this series by going down the wicket to him confident that Prior was unlikely to succeed with the stumping if they missed. I wonder if those missed stumpings at Perth helped him to decide to bring forward his retirement.

[KipperJohn]

Wouldn't be at all surprised if this was his 'reserve' position after the Oval if it didn't go well for him particularly fitness wise.

Isn't it fairly obvious that before one retires you make sure your contractual position is ok with your county and country - that's just plain common sense isn't it? No doubt he and his agent would have made sure of that before coming to such a life defining decision.

It would appear from his statement that he thought it unfair to keep on playing if he couldn't give 100% - if he hadn't made this decision now and unburdened himself he might have been under a lot of pressure for one last go.

The Ashes are gone - I don't blame him for putting himself and family first.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Nice tribute from Nathan Lyon, who I've commented before looks like he's modelled himself on Swann:

"He's someone who I've looked up to a lot, his career stats stand for themselves. He's been an unbelievable spinner and someone who I watched pretty closely in my time.

"I'm sure he will be sorely missed in the England team but I wish him all the best in the future."

[dan08]

Swann: “Some people playing the game at the minute have no idea how far up their own backsides they are. It will bite them on the arse one day and when it does I hope they look back and are embarrassed about how they carry on."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricke ... mates.html

[Arthur Crabtree]

Jimmy's pretty bad though, his mate.

I wish Swann would look beyond the derriere occasionally for a useful image.

Swann claimed he always walked. Didn't know that.

[m@tt]

People was, understandably in some respect, quick to jump on this and say he's referring to KP. They may be correct. But he does say "in the game" not "in the England team", so could be referring to members of the Australian team (instead, or as well as).

[Arthur Crabtree]

Oh. I took it to mean behaviour on the pitch...

[Alviro Patterson]

Yep. Ive decided to take his press conference at face value as that's a reasonable thing to do!. And if he isn't physically right there really isnt any point in playing the last two Tests.

Twitter outrage at his selfishness from people who wanted him dropped anyway is amusing.

Great bowler who leaves a huge void there seems no prospect of filling any time soon.-

Particularly from a certain Michael Vaughan

Pot, kettle, black springs to mind as he decided to retire from cricket mid-way through the 2009 season and at a time Yorkshire were struggling the coward.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Swann has added that he doesn't mean his colleagues. I fear he may be referring to some opponents in this series...

Most people who retire do so at fairly inconvenient times. They may have carried on too long, which takes in their own decline. They may have decided they have had too much at a troubled time for their team mates. Flintoff was criticised for retiring during the final round of county championship matches!

Mostly the appropriateness of your leaving is just luck, or judged with hindsight, as the most celebrated of English retirements, Nasser Hussain. Many will hold on for too long, and realise they have too quickly.

Anyone who goes at a time of crisis for their team will be criticised. But I am a little surprised how much hate and anger has come the way of Swann.