Cricket LIVE update: England played like a 'bunch of schoolboys' admits Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann, England’s attacking off-spinner, admitted that his team played like unprofessional school boys in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 opener against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753.
“Let’s face it, we were like a bunch of schoolboys (against Netherlands),” Swann conceded while addressing a press conference in India.
The team is under immense pressure after an unimpressive six-wicket victory at Nagpur on Tuesday. The fielding performance was woeful as the fielders dropped and missed catches and sluggishly fielded throughout the day and night encounter.
Kevin Pietersen and James Anderson’s fielding mix-up highlighted England’s “sleepy fielding” as they failed to take the game’s brilliant star Ryan ten Doeschate’s ball, who was playing on 47 at that time. Swann stood at the wicket unbelievingly staring at the gaffe as Doeschate’s 119 helped his team reach 292 for the loss of six wickets.
“We will need to raise our standards, particularly in the fields,” Swann insisted saying that the effects of a sudden change in the climate had taken its toll on the bowler.
Swann reached http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 on Sunday, one day before England’s opening game to attend the birth of his first child and admitted that he was “desperate” for the first 45 overs to finish.
He compared the three-and-a-half hours at the field to three-and-a-half months of continuous fielding, saying that when you want something to end quicker it never does.
Swann stressed that England’s next match against India will be a make-or-break game as they will be facing the World Cup favourites on Sunday in Bangalore, India for their second Group B match.
England will need to adjust to the temperature and the spin-friendly deck of Bangalore to find their form quick as the Indian batting maestros are rearing to have a go at the vulnerable Englishmen. India won the World Cup opening game on 19 February against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virat-Kohli-c95424.
Swann stated that England is ready to face India and are geared up to “silence the Indian crowd.”
England last met the co-hosts of the World Cup 2011 in India when they were trounced 5-0 back in November 2008 which was cut short by the terrorist attacks in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820.
Swann expected to fully acclimatise before Sunday and hoped to avoid a repetition of their last encounter.
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