Strauss is my hero, says Swann
August 16th, 2011 - 3:33 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Aug 16 (IANS) England spinner Graeme Swann said that his captain Andrew Strauss is his hero.
“I spend half my working life standing next to Andrew Strauss and I have to admit he is a bit of a hero to me. Strauss is a magnificent leader and his contribution to England’s climb to the top of the world Test rankings has been absolutely massive,” Swann wrote in his column in The Sun.
Swann said the soft-spoken mild mannered Strauss commands universal respect, not just from the other players in the dressing room but also from the backroom staff, selectors and hierarchy at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“The thing about Strauss is that he is so calm and always says the right thing. So, when the stroppy merchants like myself, Stuart Broad and James Anderson start losing our rags, Strauss can return us very quickly to an even keel with a comment or even just a gesture,” said Swann.
“And he does it in a way that doesn’t humiliate us, make us resent him or cause us to lose our focus and aggression,” he said.
The off-spinner said that he has never seen Strauss losing temper.
“I’ve never seen Strauss get caught up in the emotion of situations. He never kicks the ground, shouts and swears or, for that matter, become carried away when things are going well. He is Mr Phlegmatic.”
“His statesmanlike qualities extend beyond the routine stuff such as making bowling and fielding changes or team talks. When stories such as match fixing or even last week’s riots demand a firm but sensible voice, Strauss is the man to deliver the perfect words,” said Swann.
Swann said that the captain-coach combination of Strauss-Andy Flower is working well for England.
“England’s recent success can be traced back to early 2009 when Strauss and Andy Flower came together as captain and head coach. Our graph has been pointing upwards ever since. Flower is much more emotional than Straussy but they compliment each other perfectly. There’s no way Strauss and Flower will be satisfied just with getting to the top. They will want to stay there as long as possible - and I’m certain the players feel the same. This isn’t job done, it’s job started,” he said.
- My quitting as skipper laid England's Ashes win foundation: Pietersen - Dec 31, 2010
- Cook eyeing to succeed Strauss as England one-day captain - Apr 10, 2011
- England must dominate all forms of game to be declared a great team: Pringle - Jan 09, 2011
- Cook an excellent leader: Flower - Oct 02, 2011
- Swann deadly serious about defeating Australia in Ashes series - Nov 23, 2010
- England will stay No.1 for a long time: Harminson - Oct 08, 2011
- Fletcher could come a cropper when he tours UK with Indian team: Swann - Apr 29, 2011
- Feels strange to be back in England, says Fletcher - Jul 14, 2011
- Appointing Cook is a big mistake by Flower: Greig - May 11, 2011
- Pietersen not the right man to captain England: Swann - Oct 10, 2011
- Reaching No.1 spot is not the end of the journey: Swann - Aug 04, 2011
- Strauss to discuss England one-day captaincy with Flower in May - Mar 28, 2011
- Finn backs Strauss to continue as Test and one-day captain - Apr 24, 2011
- Strauss will be judged a great England captain only if he wins Ashes Down Under: Flintoff - Aug 23, 2010
- India cannot ask for a greater occasion to stamp their authority (Comment) - Jul 20, 2011
Tags: andrew strauss, andy flower, backroom staff, dressing room, england and wales cricket board, even keel, head coach, james anderson, perfect words, rags, riots, selectors, sensible voice, spinner, swann, test rankings, top of the world, universal respect, wales cricket board, world test