Swann quits all cricket

Graeme Swann chose today to announce his retirement from all forms of cricket, with immediate effect. Swanny cited that his body wasn't up to playing 5 day cricket any more and that he felt that he couldn't justify his own place in the team when a game was at its latter stages, just when he should be having most impact.


Notts followers won't be surprised by the statement that the retirement is from all forms of cricket and it comes at the close of Swann's Benefit year for the World's former Number 1 ODI bowler.

So the Cook/Flower partnership have lost the Ashes and now their senior bowling threat in the space of only a couple of weeks!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/25481772
"He was an outstanding character to have in a cricket team." Mick Newell"

http://www.nottsccc.co.uk/news/2013/december/graeme-swann-retires.html

Graeme Swann Notts career stats c/o MAG

GRAEME PETER SWANN Born 24.3.1979 Northampton RHB OB Cap 2005

YEAR		M	I	NO	RUNS	HS	AV’GE	CT	ST	100	50	30	0	I	OVERS	M	RUNS	W	AV’GE	ARPO	BPW	BB	5wI
	2005	15	17	2	322	63	21.47	5	-	-	2	2	4	23	367.2	79	1141	30	38.03	3.11	73.47	6-57	1
	2006	15	21	1	546	85	27.30	9	-	-	3	3	1	22	439.5	95	1247	28	44.54	2.84	94.25	4-54	-
	2007	16	20	4	516	97	32.25	15	-	-	3	5	2	26	487.2	93	1503	45	33.40	3.08	64.98	7-100	1
	2008	13	16	2	525	82	37.50	15	-	-	4	5	1	20	325.5	66	865	32	27.03	2.65	61.09	4-25	-
	2009	2	2	0	26	26	13.00	1	-	-	-	-	1	4	55	14	127	6	21.67	2.31	55.00	3-52	-
	2010	1	1	0	1	1	1.00	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	26	5	88	2	44.00	3.38	78.00	2-88	-
	2011	2	4	0	42	25	10.50	1	-	-	-	-	1	4	42	5	144	3	48.00	3.43	84.00	2-69	-
	2012	3	5	0	23	12	4.60	1	-	-	-	-	1	5	87.2	21	188	10	18.80	2.15	52.40	3-26	-
	2013	1	2	1	65	57	65.00	-	-	-	1	-	-	2	41	7	146	4	36.50	3.56	61.50	4-56	-
TOTAL		68	88	10	2066	97	26.49	47	-	-	13	15	11	107	1871.4	385	5449	160	34.06	2.91	70.19	7-100	2

Career Bests

COMPETITION	BATTING	BOWLING
FIRST CLASS	97 v Essex (Chelmsford) 2007	7-100 v Essex (Chelmsford) 2007
NATIONAL LEAGUE	80 v Warwickshire (Edgbaston) 2007	5-17 v Gloucestershire (Trent Bridge) 2007
TROPHY	21 v Ireland (Clontarf) 2008	3-23 v Leicestershire (Oakham School) 2008
TWENTY/20	90* v Derbyshire (Derby) 2009	3-16 v Derbyshire (Derby) 2006 3-16 v Derbyshire (Trent Bridge) 2007

Testing Numbers

• Took 255 wickets in 60 Tests matches at an average of 29.96
• Appeared in 79 one-day internationals, claiming 104 scalps at 27.76
• Made 39 Twenty20 international appearances, earning 51 wickets at 16.84

It takes two..................................

to fill Swanny's shoes, it seems!

Scott Borthwick and James Tredwell have been summoned to Australia to cover for the departing Swann.

Ashes lost

Despite a century from Ben Stokes, Australia ran away with the Ashes as England were all out for 353. Mitchell Johnson the wrecker-in-chief again.

3-0 down, will the management make the necessary wholesale changes for the fourth Test in an attempt to stop the rot and the probability of 5-0.

England sinking fast

Day 4 saw Watson and Bailey plundered some quick runs before a nominal target of 504 was set by the ruthless Antipodeans, picking Swann and Anderson out for particular punishment.

Captain Cook sank to a new depth - out first ball of the fourth innings.

latest 251/5 with the cracks on the pitch growing by the hour.

 England sink in the sun

The selection error of not playing any of the attacking bowling options posed by one of Tremlett, Rankin or Finn, if were a chicken, came home to roost today at the roasting hot WACA.
 England's batting slumped to another dismal total, but having Stuart Broad in the process getting a yorker on the foot from Mitchell the destroyer Johnson (limping off to hospital for a scan), meant that Bresnan was required to open the bowling with Jimmy Anderson - the Australians creamed an opening stand of 157 as a possible result.

England 251 
Australia 235/3 a lead of 369

England not just losing the Ashes, badly, they are now gift wrapping them.

Anchor dropped by England 

With the loss of both Captain Cook (72) and KP (19) within 3 overs of each other, the good ship England had little choice but to block out the rest of the day - dropping anchor.

Earlier, Australia had hurried out to 385 after which the England openers had made a promising start of 85 before Carberry (43) and then Root departed - Joe Root being given out despite DRS showing he hadn't nicked a catch to Haddin.


Australia 385 (Smith 103*) 5 wickets for Notts 
England 180/4 at stumps

Deja vu at the WACA

In a deja vu performance of Brisbane day one, Day One at the very hot WACA saw early wickets for England again after losing the toss; Australia then produce a stand of significance to fully recover on a almost chance-less (apart from the 6 wickets) day - at least no catches were dropped.

England are fielding the same eleven, except for Bresnan in for Panesar which begs the question why the the trio of towering giants Finn, Tremlett and Rankin bothered getting visas - Perth being the obvious venue to play one or even two of them.