- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
England tweaker Graeme Swann says Kevin Pietersen has “destroyed left-arm spinners”, dismissing suggestions their key batsman would be bothered by the likely first Test selection of Australian Xavier Doherty.
Doherty was called into the 13-man squad for Thursday’s Test at the Gabba at the expense of New South Welshman Nathan Hauritz, who had a lean tour of India and failed to shine with limited opportunities in domestic cricket this season.
But it was as much Doherty’s left-handedness as Hauritz’s ordinary form that appeared to tip the scales in favour of the Tasmanian with Pietersen frequently all at sea to southpaw spinners.
Left-arm orthodox spin bowlers have dismissed Pietersen 17 times in his 66-Test career and have also taken his wicket in 15 one-day internationals and six times in 28 Twenty20 matches for England.
This view was only compounded by Pietersen’s dismissal, bowled for five, at the hand of another left-arm tweaker – NSW’s Steve O’Keefe – in last week’s Australia A clash.
Yet Swann was keen to counter opinions that this was a specific weakness of Pietersen’s and that Doherty could cause the brash South African-born No.4 batsman some problems.
“There’s a new guy going to come in who I don’t know anything about,” Swann admitted on Sunday.
“We obviously had planned for playing against Hauritz.
“It’s not a concern for us because we’ve seen Kev destroy left-arm spinners.
“Any batsman can get out to any bowler any time.
“I know it doesn’t worry Kevin and it doesn’t worry the rest of us.”
Meanwhile Swann, the world No.2-ranked bowler, denied England would be a one-man show and says it’s not up to him to take all the wickets and lead the attack.
“No I don’t take it on board because it’s not the view that I hold,” the off-spinner said.
“I only do well if the team’s doing well. If we’re not putting on big totals and taking wickets at the other end, it’s hard for me to do very well.
“It’s nice. It shows that I’ve had a good couple of years if people are saying that. But I’m not buying into it.”
Swann also said if the Gabba was a seam-friendly pitch it wouldn’t hurt England’s chances at all.
“We’re very lucky if it is seamer-friendly conditions we’ve got two of the best seam bowlers in the world (James Anderson and Stuart Broad) and a guy who will the best bowler in the world in three or four years (Steven Finn),” Swann said.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.