Phil Tufnell shocked at Graeme Swann's omission - Cricket News Update
Former English spinner, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501 from the England’s playing XI for the second Test against South Africa at Leeds.
The home side decided to bank on its pace attack to take an early advantage off the tinge of green grass on an otherwise dry Headingley pitch. Swann was replaced by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TT-Bresnan-c2711.
This is the first time in 43 Test matches that Swann is not representing his national side. The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Test
rankings.
Tufnell, who played 42 Test matches and took 121 wickets (at 37.68) in an eleven-year career, said that there was no excuse of dropping a match-winner like Swann, especially in circumstances where the home side is looking forward to level the series.
"Swann is one of the main reasons http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 have got to number one in the world and he's an integral part of the side. I'd have been loath to drop my number one spinner," Tufnell told BBC Sport
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Petersen-c1028 provided a solid 120-run opening stand, which had denied the English fast bowlers to take
an early advantage.
Tufnell said that playing a Test match without a specialist spinner could prove costly for the Poms and he would’ve preferred four pace men, aided ably by Swann.
"I would have perhaps thought of playing five bowlers - with the strength of South Africa's batting you might need five bowlers to get through them," said the 46-year-old.
The former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Middlesex-c817 player believes that making a strong comeback would require a lot of perseverance and determination from the English team.
"It takes a very strong team to write that defeat at The Oval off as a bad day at the office,” the former off-spinner concluded.
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