We always wanted to rest Swanny claims Alastair Cook – Cricket News Update
With concerns about Graeme Swann’s troublesome elbow gathering pace, England skipper, Alastair Cook played down any such fears by claiming that it was the management’s decision to rest the premier spinner for the latter part of the ongoing NatWest series against South Africa.
Swann was rested for the final three ODI games in a bid to rest the player ahead of another busy cricketing schedule for the former no.1 ranked Test team. Following the conclusion of the home summer, the Poms will travel to Sri Lanka to defend their T20 crown, before locking horns with India, New Zealand and Australia.
Despite a considerable dip in form this year, Swann is still the leading spinner for the Poms and remains among a handful of English players to represent their country in all three formats of the game. However, a worrisome right elbow remains his worst fear; with the player himself describing the idea of a second surgery as unthinkable.
For that reason, the management has used the spin wizard sparingly in the ODI arena, where he has often missed out on selection this home summer. The latest omission again led to speculations that he has aggravated his elbow injury, but Captain Cook was quick to dismiss any concern.
"We were always going to rest Swanny for the last three games. We planned to rest him, quite simply. He was fit to play, but it was a decision Andy and I made before the series started. With the amount of cricket we have coming up, we have to look at the bigger picture - and it's really nice as a captain to have someone as solid and as good at James Tredwell to come in," said Cook.
The skipper also praised James Tredwell, who again bowled a tight spell in the team’s third ODI win over the Proteas. Replacing Swann, the Kent spinner, restricted the run flow and chipped in with the all-important wickets of AB de Villiers and JP Duminy.
"Tredwell is just a really, really good performer," Cook said. "He knows his game really well; he's a great man to have around, and it's nice to have that strength in depth.”
Tags: