I'd forgotten I'd written this. It was for Test Match Sofa, where they invited everyone to send in 100 words on their favourite cricketer, and why he was their favourite. I went over the 100 words, but it still feels rather short. It doesn't come anywhere near explaining the love for GP Swann.
Graeme Swann first came to my attention as a happy-go-lucky county pro who got on the radio just for being funny. He’d also played once for England, but overslept and missed the team bus. With blonde highlights in his hair and a spring in his step, he was a breath of fresh air when recalled to the England ODI team in 2007, and two wickets in his first over of test cricket also helped. Swann’s off-spin currently rivals anyone in world cricket, and he’s taken crucial wickets at crucial times (including an Ashes winning one). Now rated as the number three bowler in the world, Swanny is my ideal teammate; he’d win the game single-handedly on the pitch before having a great time in the bar afterwards. Which makes him my favourite cricketer in the world.
So now you know why.
Incidentally, Swann is one of cricket's blokes I can't stand. But never mind, there are a whole bunch I don't like.
ReplyDeleteHadn't he been the reason for England drawing the Test series against South Africa earlier this year, the resentment would have been a bit less I perceive.