da dobrowin： Graeme Swann will postpone surgery on his elbow until at least beyond England’s tour of the West Indies, and he shrugged off any notion of being under pressure as the side’s No.1 spinner
da bet vitoria： Andrew McGlashan in Barbados24-Feb-2009
Graeme Swann will postpone surgery on his elbow until after England’s tour of West Indies © Getty Images
This tour doesn’t get any easier for England. No sooner had GraemeSwann burst back into the Test team with a maiden five-wicket haul inAntigua than a long-standing elbow problem flared up again, whileSteve Harmison has been sent for a scan after reporting back stiffnessto give the management and selectors another concern.Harmison’s scan gave the all-clear – “normal wear-and-tear” was thediagnosis – and Swann should also be fit for the crucial fourth Test inBarbados on Thursday, but it is hardly ideal preparation for what is a must-win match.They will have to try and level the series with a four-man attackafter losing Andrew Flintoff and Matt Prior over the last few days, and cannot afford anyone to go lame once they are named in the side.Not that Harmison is screaming out for selection having taken justfour wickets in the series. Since his much-heralded return againstSouth Africa, at The Oval in August, he has managed nine wickets at41, which are hardly the numbers of a strike bowler. However, withRyan Sidebottom also a risky proposition due to his Achilles problemHarmison is unlikely to be challenged. The other option would be AmjadKhan but, despite his 5 for 79 in the warm-up match, the selectors areunlikely to gamble on a debutant in a four-man attackWith plenty of issues surrounding the quick bowlers Swann’s positionbecomes ever more important. He woke up on the fourth morning inAntigua and could barely move his right arm, but thanks to plenty ofphysio and a couple of painkilling injections managed to send down 39overs in the second innings. It was almost enough to clinch England avital victory, only to be denied by West Indies’ final pair.”It was frustrating when the clouds got in the way and when theumpires offered the light it was quite a debilitating feeling becausewe’d controlled the game for five days. It was gutting really,” hesaid. “I don’t look back on it with dismay, it’s happened and there’sno point crying over spilt milk.”Swann’s injury flairs up randomly – it once happened carrying abasket in Tesco’s – and at some stage he will need an operation, but itwill be difficult to find the time now he is England’s No. 1 spinnerin both Test and one-day cricket. His 5 for 57 in the first innings inAntigua were England’s best bowling figures of the winter, showing theharsh reality of the struggling attack.”There are bits in there that shouldn’t be and they need taking out atsome stage, but finding time to do it is a bit tricky these days,”Swann said. “Three years ago we tried to get it sorted out and I hadan operation, but it didn’t quite do the trick and more bits havefragmented off. It’s probably something I will have for the rest of mycareer and it’s annoying and frustrating as it is indiscriminate.”He hopes he can manage the problem for the rest of this tour, but hewon’t want to be out of action during the summer with a World Twenty20and the Ashes series looming. “With the intensive physio and doctortreatment you get with the England team it’s easier to manage,” hesaid. “We can pump it full of whatever it needs over the next twoweeks, potentially three or four weeks, to get through the West Indiestrip.”What makes the timing even worse for Swann is that he now has thechance to cement himself as the frontline spinner after taking MontyPanesar’s place in Antigua. It is an opportunity he has waited adecade for after first touring with England in 1999. Although heretains his jovial personality he is a far more mature cricketer thesedays and now trusts his game.”I’ve been bowling well for the last 18 months,” he said. “I willalways be pigeon-holed as a one-day spinner even though my record isprobably better in first-class cricket. I was bowling well enough towarrant a place on tour and in India and I was delighted to be pickedin Antigua.”I certainly didn’t go out saying ‘right I’ve got to show what I cando now’. I was quite surprised I got five wickets in the first inningsbecause it wasn’t doing much, but every dog has his day and I was morethan happy. It’s a nice feeling to know that, if you are fit, you aregoing to get into the team for the next game.”As Panesar found, being the top spinner comes with plenty of pressurebut Swann is confident he can deal with the expectation. “Some peoplemight put pressure on themselves, but it’s undue pressure and youdon’t need to be thinking that the whole country is expecting,” hesaid. “My mum has been telling me I’m the No. 1 spinner in England forthe last 10 years so that’s enough pressure.”
