Former England spinner Graeme Swann has backed Durham opener Ben McKinney to be England's next Test opener after his successful winter with England Lions.
Speaking on TalkSport's Following On podcast, Swann praised McKinney, who was part of the Lions squad Swann was a member of the coaching squad for in Australia earlier this year. Asked by Steve Harmison if a space in England's Test top order could go to McKinney, Swann said: "Ben McKinney will take it... There's not a single downside to him.
"In my view he could easily walk into Test cricket now and do a really good job. He reminds me so much of Stephen Fleming, the ex New Zealand captain, actually the best captain and player I played under at Nottinghamshire. McKinney is a young version of him, so keep your eye out for him."
How has McKinney done so far?
McKinney finished the Lions tour of Australia with a century against Australia A in Sydney. He hit 110 at a run-a-ball, with the next highest scorer in the innings only managing 35. He previously hit a 94 in the opening match of the series in Brisbane against a Cricket Australia XI.
Still only aged 20, McKinney made his first-class debut for Durham in the 2023 County Championship. He made his maiden first-class century in his first appearance in the competition in 2024, scoring 121 off 129 balls against Nottinghamshire.
There has been growing pressure over Zak Crawley's place at the top of England's Test order after his lean run of scores over the winter. Having made a half-century in the first innings of England's tour of Pakistan last October, Crawley made six single-figure scores in his next 10 innings with a top score of 29.
Swann also praised 16-year-old Nottinghamshire spinner Farhan Ahmed on the podcast, who took a nine-wicket-haul in an England U19 youth Test in South Africa last month. "Farhan Ahmed, I've said this a couple of times - Rehan's little brother, he's an off-spinner from Nottingham, is unbelievably talented," said Swann. "I genuinely believe he could be an international off-spinner for 15 years if he's coached properly and treated properly by English cricket. When I say treated properly, if we start to understand spin bowling, because we still don't in England in my point of view."
England will play their first Test match of the summer against Zimbabwe in May, before a five Test series against India gets underway.
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