Swann wanted to pull out of ODIs against Pakistan
English off-spinner Graeme Swann has said that he was one of the English players who did not want to play any further part in the ODI series against Pakistan after the Pakistan board chairman Ejaz Butt accused the English players of match-fixing.
The accusations of match-fixing from Butt had come after the English side collapsed in the third ODI at the Oval to lose a game that they looked good to win. The stunned English team had said that they wanted to pull out of the series and it took an extended
set of talks between the English cricket board, the player association and the captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower for the side to continue playing.
Swann said that he was one of the players who felt dreadful about playing in the remainder of the series. He said that he wanted to get away from it as soon as he could, and there were many others who had reservations about the same.
Swann commended the captain Strauss though and said that he handled the situation brilliantly. He said, "But Straussy, who has been brilliant throughout this episode, persuaded us the best thing we could do was get on with it as a team and make sure we won
the series. He was proved to be right."
Swann was one of the best bowlers for the English team in the series and ended up with 11 wickets at an average of less than 20. He was also very economical and the Pakistani batsmen found it difficult to hit him out of the attack.
The off-spinner added that he wanted to hear the Pakistan board chairman apologising. He also reiterated, “If we do not receive a satisfactory response, we will start legal proceedings.”
The English cricket board has now sent an official notice to the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board chairman, Butt which has asked him to apologise for the statement he had made. According to the English board, if Butt did not do so, they would be left with no option but
to drag him to court.
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