Graham Swann retires from all cricket with immediate effect.

[Mackenzie]

In all likeliness he was going to retire at the end of this series, I expect Flower told him he was dropped and he decided to bring his retirement forward. That is his prerogative but the timing, in the circumstances, seems questionable.

Cheers Swann.....who's next?

 

[The Wizard]

A great bowler & gave England a lot over the years, can't help but feel this is a really spineless way to retire though, Spinners can generally bowl well into their late 30's so it's definitely a shock for him to retire now.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Is he flying home? Would be nice if he hung around to support his team mates.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think he should have had a word with Flower, then take a back seat and make the announcement at the end of the tour. This is for 2 reasons:

1. England will now be labelled as a team of quitters for years to come, inflicting psychological damage on a team in transition.
2. This is a bad example to set the younger players like Root, Bairstow and Stokes. This is not the way to act in the white hot heat of battle.

The likes of Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe never won an Ashes series and took some real beatings, but still kept going.

I love Swann but there was a feeling he was always a bit of a prick. His decision now has proved that theory right. Coming to a Sky studio near you. Great career, crap ending. England left in total disarray.

 

[KZNSeagull]

I think he should have had a word with Flower, then take a back seat and make the announcement at the end of the tour. This is for 2 reasons:

1. England will now be labelled as a team of quitters for years to come, inflicting psychological damage on a team in transition.
2. This is a bad example to set the younger players like Root, Bairstow and Stokes. This is not the way to act in the white hot heat of battle.

The likes of Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe never won an Ashes series and took some real beatings, but still kept going.

I love Swann but there was a feeling he was always a bit of a prick. His decision now has proved that theory right. Coming to a Sky studio near you. Great career, crap ending. England left in total disarray.

I cannot disagree with any of that. Very poor from Swann - smacks of running away when the going gets tough.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I could add a third point:

3. He may find in his career as a pundit that his moral authority to judge cricket at the top level may be affected by his "quitter" decision now. To my earlier list of England stalwarts you can add Tufnell, a former spinner who took some flak from the Aussies but still kept going. It counts for something.

 

[Davemania]

right time to go...?? in the middle of a tour...?? you are joking right...??

Exactly what i immediately thought.

 

[Trevor]

No, I think timing is fine. Beginning of tour, he will still have thought he could perform. The Ashes is gone and rebuilding starts here. Monty can be our spinner for remainder of tour - see how he gets on.

We have problems filling spinner position going forward. Kerrigan performed poorly when given opportunity. Obvious contenders would be Rayner, Rashid and Briggs. Rayner has plenty of guts - The next England spinner will need that

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Is he flying home? Would be nice if he hung around to support his team mates.

Can't see what use it would be to have him hanging around. He's made his choice and its best he leaves the camp immediately. They have an able replacement in Monty who didn't do much wrong in Adelaide and has bags of experience. After his problems during the Summer, few thought he would be selected. Given the situation with Swann, its fortunate he was.

 

[um bongo molongo]

Apologies for the name dropping, but I met Michael Vaughan through a friend at the Oval Test in the summer who said Swann was going to retire at the end of this series (the point being made at the time was "we've got a problem - look at what we've got in the cupboard" as Kerrigan was falling to pieces). So I would assume he's been told he was going to be dropped for Melbourne and for the sake of 3 weeks has decided to retire now. You could argue whether that's right or not in the middle of a tour (albeit one already lost) but in all honesty it doesn't really make a lot of difference. Interestingly, Vaughan also thought Anderson might retire at the same time and with Prior likely to be dropped you would imagine, we could be about to enter a difficult transition period...

 

[spring hall convert]

No surprise, I rightly predicted in the summer he was retiring after this series, results brought that decision forward a couple of weeks. He was found out in the same manner the South Africans found him out - play a lot of right handers. I'm not keen on his jack the lad act to be honest, the twitter comment was so unbelievable crass and stupid Nuts magazine would have though twice before printing it.

A fine, fine career for England though with I suspect 2 regrets. He could have made more runs if he took his batting a bit more seriously and if he hadn't have acted like a f*cking plank when selected for England the first time, he may well have ended up England's record ever cap holder. A good career but frustratingly not a great one.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Can't see what use it would be to have him hanging around. He's made his choice and its best he leaves the camp immediately. They have an able replacement in Monty who didn't do much wrong in Adelaide and has bags of experience. After his problems during the Summer, few thought he would be selected. Given the situation with Swann, its fortunate he was.

To support his (ex) team mates, that's why he should hang around. If he does come home, it just looks like he does not give a damn, now that has failed and given up.

 

[ewe2]

To me,being part of a team,is one for all,all for one ! Swann IMO should accept that he has not performed ,and could be dropped.He should then get behind his replacement and his team . After the series is over, then retire.At 34 years old ,i feel he has got this wrong.Forever he will be known as a quitter, and if he does not care what his fans think, then that in itself reflects the man !!!! (My only caveat is that we have not been told the truth ! ) "Why did you leave your team mates,when they needed you " ! will be his memory,and not his undoubted talent .

 

[Black Rod]

It'd be like Beckham retiring at half time in a game with us 3-0 down.

He signed up to go Australia, he should see it through to the end. Bottlejob.

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Right decision, wrong timing.

 

[BensGrandad]

That is 2 changes for the next test with him retiring and Prior being dropped.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Great spinner, but to be honest the Aussies targeted him and Anderson to really get after and they have obviously thrashed all confidence out of him.

After Anderson's mauling I won't be surprised if he is out of the next two.

I think with swanny it is just the timing really. The ashes series last summer was actually a lot closer than the tree nil suggested and we really do need now to look at some of the youngsters and have a reshuffle.....perhaps KP and Bresnan need to be rested now. Btw. What ever happened to that lad who got 90 odd against England in the first test batting at number 10 or 11 who played for Richmond I think it was.

 

[knocky1]

No. 11 Ashton Agar and you should see him playing Test cricket again
in a few years time, if his bowling developes.

Will Swann return any wages for leaving early? He should have to pay for his own flight as well.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

No. 11 Ashton Agar and you should see him playing Test cricket again
in a few years time, if his bowling developes.

Will Swann return any wages for leaving early? He should have to pay for his own flight as well.

That's him...pretty decent bat, didn't turn it much, but looked a good prospect

 

[dangull]

It'd be like Beckham retiring at half time in a game with us 3-0 down.

He signed up to go Australia, he should see it through to the end. Bottlejob.

Not quite the same though. The series is lost, 3-0 with 2 to play, Liverpool came back from 3-0 at H/T to win the European Cup in 2005 i think.