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Injured Swann still targeting Ashes despite elbow injury blow

Last updated on .From the section Cricketcomments54

Graeme Swann

England spinner Graeme Swann says he is confident of being fit for this summer's Ashes series against Australia after being ruled out of the Test tour in New Zealand with an elbow injury.

He will have surgery in the United States next week after a scan revealed he needed some floating bone removed.

"The Ashes are four months away, so if I'm not fit by then I will be very surprised," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

England begin the defence of the Ashes on 10 July at Trent Bridge.

Swann was told he needed surgery after having a scan in Dunedin ahead of the first Test against New Zealand.

"The last operation I had was by the same guy and he's a genius in the field," said the 33-year-old Nottinghamshire off-spinner, who has been dogged by elbow problems.

"I'm very buoyed by the success of that last operation and I know it will be fine. I'm just peeved at the minute because I've been looking forward to this New Zealand series for ages.

"I love this country. I lived here for a while back in 2004-2005 and I've still yet to play in a Test series over here.

"It will probably mean I never play in a Test match in New Zealand, so I'm peeved to be honest."

Swann said he will "follow the instructions to the letter" following surgery in an attempt to recover in time for the first of five Tests against Australia.

An England & Wales Cricket Board statement read: "Swann will travel to the United States next week to have an operation and will then undergo a period of rehabilitation allowing an anticipated return to competitive cricket in the early summer."

Before his injury setback, Swann had missed only three of England's 53 Tests since his debut in India in December 2008.

He was rested for the one-day international series in India before Christmas, but played in the three ODIs against New Zealand last month.

However, he complained of stiffness during the defeat by a New Zealand XI in the four-day warm-up match.

Swann was replaced by slow left-armer Monty Panesar for the first Test in Dunedin, the first day of which was washed out.

Kent's James Tredwell, another off-spinner, is also flying out to New Zealand to boost the touring squad.

England play three Tests against New Zealand, with matches in Wellington and Auckland following the one in Dunedin.

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54 comments

  • Comment posted by Andy_Carrolls_Barber, at 08:38 6 Mar 2013

    This isn't a Real/Man U Blog!?!
    What's going on?!

  • Comment posted by U15511262, at 08:35 6 Mar 2013

    Well - lets see what Monty can do on unhelpful pitches over the next couple of tests and force the selectors into a tough decision. Swann has been the darling of English Cricket for several years now and, whilst some stand out performances come to mind, was outperformed by Monty in India. Swanny was always a threat regardless of the pitch - so lets see what Monty has to offer

  • Comment posted by SheikhMohammed, at 14:33 6 Mar 2013

    41. Yes they will. Swann is...
    ...a better bowler. Not by much but I still think he has the edge.
    ...a better batsman. Makes useful runs, Monty wont make any.
    ...a better fielder. Key man at slip now no Strauss (or Collingwood). Monty is a liability in the field.
    ...one of the team's leaders. Not sure how much Monty contributes when he's not bowling in terms of energy and general chirpiness.

  • Comment posted by NothernApe, at 14:08 6 Mar 2013

    Well - lets see what Monty can do on unhelpful pitches over the next couple of tests and force the selectors into a tough decision. Swann has been the darling of English Cricket for several years now and, whilst some stand out performances come to mind, was outperformed by Monty in India. Swanny was always a threat regardless of the pitch - so lets see what Monty has to offer

  • Comment posted by brianbutterfield, at 13:28 6 Mar 2013

    Not sure spin is going to play a huge part on this tour. We can rely on Monty to do a solid job and build up pressure on the NZ batsmen to make mistakes against the quicks

  • Comment posted by U14980039, at 08:44 6 Mar 2013

    @2

    I've been watching some of the Aus V India matches, and it has been interesting comparing them to the Eng v India tests.

    Aus have been having the same problems with exactly the same players that we did (Ashwin, Dhoni, Pujara), but the reason they have been hammered in the first two tests is that the Aus bowling attack never looks like it's going to take wickets.

    So yes, quiet confidence.

  • Comment posted by U14911890, at 08:16 6 Mar 2013

    I bowl offspin but I have never suffered from an elbow injury.

    My only injury woes have been a wrenched neck watching my balls being smashed out of the park.

  • Comment posted by raulpeacock, at 22:41 6 Mar 2013

    With Monty in the team, England's fielding will be world class at long last!!!
    Monty!!!!!!!

  • Comment posted by U2080830, at 21:49 6 Mar 2013

    Winged monkey-

    Monty did play one less match in India, but bowled many more overs in the three they played together, overall I think swanny bowled about five more overs in the series.
    I like monty, but he not in same class as swann ,Especially when the pressure on. We need him back for sure.

  • Comment posted by WingedMonkey, at 17:57 6 Mar 2013

    Dr_Ads, I'd also pick Swann over Monty every time, and not for his batting, but it's worth pointing out that Monty got his 17 wickets in fewer tests in India. He's a very fine replacement - with the ball in hand, anyway.

    After those two, it's a bit dicey but, given that the spinner is likely to be used mainly as relief for the pacemen in New Zealand, I'd like Tredwell to have a chance.

  • Comment posted by U14980039, at 17:38 6 Mar 2013

    45.Robbo
    "Monty outbowled Swann in India"

    Really?

    Swann took 20 wickets @ 24.6 (he also took 5 catches and his batting av was 32.66)

    Monty took 17 wickets @ 26.82 (he recorded zero catches and his batting av was 2.5)

    So it's clear from those figures which just who 'outbowled' who, and which one you want in your team.

  • Comment posted by bobin, at 11:13 6 Mar 2013

    Good luck Swanny, he brings more than just bowling to the team. His attitude is first class.But lets face it NZ and Oz are not what they were so this is the best time to lose him for a while. The balance of power has definitely shifted to South Africa as the main threat to us.

  • Comment posted by NorvernMonkey, at 11:02 6 Mar 2013

    Providing he is fit come the summer, I think this could add a good psychological boost for us and a big blow to the Aussies mindset. Whilst he isnt at the same standard, it would be like Warne returning for them just in time for the start of it.

    Monty is a more than adequate replacement and was excellent in India, and getting game time against a team like NZ could be a huge boost for him.

  • Comment posted by Pierre, at 10:56 6 Mar 2013

    Yes its what Swanny brings to all 3 disciplines of the game that stands him apart from Monty (who bowls very well). He's also a great dressing room personality which in the Ashes will be vital. Good luck to Monty and Tredwell in this series though.

  • Comment posted by U15638051, at 10:32 6 Mar 2013

    Monty won't be a problem on a bowling front, but we will miss Swann's lower order batting and slip fielding. I think Anderson will now have to field at 2nd slip which means there will be bigger gaps in the field if England still try to hide Monty (Fine leg). I don't think this will be a huge problem against NZ but this may be more noticeable if Swann hasn't recovered in time for the ashes

  • Comment posted by U14526977, at 10:01 6 Mar 2013

    Great chance for Monty to show his value as the future 1st spinner. Hopefully Swann's comeback will go smoothly and then we'll have him for his last two ashes series before he probably retires on a high after two resounding ashes series victories (hopefully)

  • Comment posted by neonlights, at 09:54 6 Mar 2013

    Monty is a capable bowling replacement, but Swann brings valuable runs to the tail. Monty doesn't.

  • Comment posted by MajorDennisBloodnok, at 09:41 6 Mar 2013

    Bringing in Monty for Swann should be a fairly easy replacement on the bowling front, just puts a bit more onus on the batsmen to score a few more runs to compensate for Monty's batting.

  • Comment posted by U14797313, at 08:32 6 Mar 2013

    Looking to compare the performances of England and Australia against India?

    England should be feeling confident, let's hope not OVER confident.

  • Comment posted by Tom_in_Exeter, at 04:42 7 Mar 2013

    It's a four day match, almost certainly destined for a draw. At least England have tried to make it interesting. It's good to see that Joe Root can fail just like anybody else - he's human after all!

    Tough for Swann - the way he plays cricket the elbow gets a lot of stick. If I were him, for the rest of my cricket career I'd give up golf, cut out aerial shots, and only field close up.

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