Pietersen not the right man to captain England: Swann
October 10th, 2011 - 10:33 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Oct 10 (IANS) Spinner Graeme Swann says Kevin Pietersen, despite his abundant talent, is not the right man to lead England.
Swann said appointment of Andrew Strauss as the captain was the best thing to happen to English cricket and led the country to the No.1 world ranking.
“There is no doubt that Kev is a good player, a really fine batsman, but he was never the right man to captain England in my opinion,” Swann wrote in his autobiography, “The Breaks are off”.
“Some people are better leaders of men and Kev, for all his abundant talent is not one of those natural leaders.”
Swann prefers the leadership style of Strauss, saying that at one point of the Chennai Test in 2008, Pietersen was reduced to screaming profanities at everyone.
“I wouldn’t say he was a useless captain, but he wasn’t my sort of captain and we’ve ended up with the right man. I can’t really work out why Strauss demands respect, but he does,” Swan said.
“I’ve known him a long time but there is a line I won’t cross with him that I will cross with anyone else. It’s the sign of a good leader. I’m in awe of the way he speaks.
“He always seems to press the right buttons with me and says exactly what I’m thinking. He’s to the point and meaningful and I’d be really upset with myself if he ever felt it necessary to dress me down.”
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