Graeme Swann damns England’s World Cup hopes
27 Aug 2014 4:55 AM IST
Graeme Swann believes England ‘do not have a cat in hell’s chance’ of winning next year’s World Cup unless they add more firepower to their top-order batting. Sunday saw England captain Alastair Cook suggest that the team’s prospects for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand were ‘very good’.
But former England off-spinner Swann was far more pessimistic. Swann, speaking to BBC Radio’s Test Match Special as rain washed out the first ODI against India in Bristol without a ball bowled on Monday, insisted England were ‘so far behind other teams’ in their approach to the limited-overs game. ‘If he (Cook) truly believes England can win this World Cup...I am the greatest patriot there is but we do not have a cat in hell’s chance,’ Swann said. Opening batsman Cook’s position in the one-day side has been called into question, with many pundits arguing his orthodox approach, while well-suited to Test cricket, has increasingly little place in a one-day context where big hitters dominate at the top of the order.
‘I love Cooky totally, but I do not think he should be bothering playing one-day cricket any more. Let young people (play) who want to smash it everywhere,’ said the 35-year-old Swann, who played 60 Tests and 79 ODIs for England.
But former England off-spinner Swann was far more pessimistic. Swann, speaking to BBC Radio’s Test Match Special as rain washed out the first ODI against India in Bristol without a ball bowled on Monday, insisted England were ‘so far behind other teams’ in their approach to the limited-overs game. ‘If he (Cook) truly believes England can win this World Cup...I am the greatest patriot there is but we do not have a cat in hell’s chance,’ Swann said. Opening batsman Cook’s position in the one-day side has been called into question, with many pundits arguing his orthodox approach, while well-suited to Test cricket, has increasingly little place in a one-day context where big hitters dominate at the top of the order.
‘I love Cooky totally, but I do not think he should be bothering playing one-day cricket any more. Let young people (play) who want to smash it everywhere,’ said the 35-year-old Swann, who played 60 Tests and 79 ODIs for England.
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