Graeme Swann, England’s most successful off-spinner, was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2010. His brother Alec wrote this insightful profile.
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The celebrations may have been over-exuberant, but they were perfectly understandable. When a well-flighted off-break found Mike Hussey’s inside edge and thigh pad before ending up in Alastair Cook’s hands at short-leg, Graeme Swann could be forgiven for going over the top. Once it became apparent that the surface at The Oval bore an uncanny resemblance to a sandpit, the onus was on him to perform, and four days later he had delivered.
That wicket confirmed the prize which English cricket craves most – the climax of a heady year for Swann, who rose from a supporting tourist to the country’s No. 1 spinner.
Graeme Peter Swann was born in Northampton on March 24, 1979. His early childhood was spent playing any sport possible on the Old Northamptonians’ ground – the ideal place for two sport-crazy kids to wear themselves out – where their father played in the Northamptonshire County League as a combative batsman. The two grass nets were given a thorough workout every other weekend: the younger brother had to do most of the bowling at his elder sibling, and found it easier to get the ball down the other end if he bowled spin.
This gave way to junior club cricket at Horton House, supervised by Ted Gascoyne, and later his sons David and Sam. Success as an all-rounder for the Northants Cricket Association and Northants Schools resulted in a step up to the Midlands and England Under-14 and Under-15 teams. In 1997-98, Swann helped England win the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, with a frugal spell against Australia and an unbeaten batting cameo against New Zealand in the final.
Nineteen wickets in the West Indies, and seven more in the return series at home, secured his place for the Ashes. A poor performance with the ball in Cardiff, due to a mix of nerves and overexcitement, was offset by a pair of innings which underlined one reason why Swann has risen to prominence. (“If I hadn’t scored a few I might not have played at Lord’s.”)
Cricket has a habit of revealing an individual’s personality, and Swann’s batting shows his. The upbeat extrovert comes through in his try-or-be-damned approach. “Batting so low in the order, I’m given licence to do pretty much what I want. When I started, it was my bowling that was more of a reflection of me, but that’s changed over the past few years.”
Crucial wickets at Lord’s, a morale-boosting 62 at Headingley and eight vital wickets on the Oval dustbowl were his main contributions to the Ashes triumph, and encapsulated Swann’s strengths. The ability to put a poor performance to one side – a skill many fail to master – and move on to the next challenge explains why he has had such a career-defining year, taking 54 Test wickets, more than anybody bar Mitchell Johnson.
It is a difference in mind-set that emphasises the position he now finds himself in. “Eighteen months ago, I was hoping to go to India as the second spinner. Now I look at where we’re touring and who I’m going to get the chance to bowl at.” And his well-earned success will do little to calm the exuberance that defines him.
