England's Graeme Swann in fight with Saeed Ajmal for No1 spinner spot
• Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan believes Saeed Ajmal has edge
• Swann had to play second fiddle to Monty Panesar in warm-up
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| Graeme SwannPhotograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images |
Beneath his affable and entertaining surface, Graeme Swann must surely be feeling a little pressure. His status as the world's No1 off-spinner is being challenged – has already been taken, according to the Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan – by Saeed Ajmal, with whom he will do battle in Dubai this week for the first time since 2010.
He had to play second fiddle to Monty Panesar in England's second warm-up match before the start of the Test series, taking only one wicket in each innings on a helpful pitch on which his junior collected eight for 103.
Then there is the responsibility of the key role that he must play if England are to succeed against Pakistan on the dry, abrasive pitches of the Emirates – almost certainly operating as a sole spinner while Ajmal will have support from Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez.
But if Swann is anxious, he is hiding it well. "Like I said in the summer, it's nice to have a holiday when we're playing at home," he reflected in one of the many quiet corners of England's palatial Dubai hotel. "But you start to feel a bit hollow when the victories have taken place and you have had no real part in them. You know me, I like to be the centre of attention. So any time I am playing and the ball is going to turn it makes me a lot more excited. Let's face it, if you are a racing driver you want to win the race, you don't want to help your team-mate do it.
"If as a spin bowler you get worried about bowling last you are probably doing the wrong thing. That's the time to enjoy yourself because more often than not you're on a pitch that is going to help you."
So he has only praise for Ajmal, the 34-year-old from Faisalabad who took 50 wickets to Swann's 27 in 2011, when they each played eight Tests. "He's a canny lad – we spoke yesterday and had a good laugh about his mystery ball," he said, having been delighted to learn of the Teesra, which means "third one" in Urdu, as opposed to the familiar Doosra, or "other one".
"That's the greatest thing about it, because when all the spinners come up with these balls, the names are highly unoriginal. But the Teesra is a stroke of genius. It was only going to be a matter of time before someone took on Warney's mantle. I'm looking forward to seeing it – as I'm sure he [Ajmal] is."
As that last remark suggests, Swann is not convinced. "Let's face it, as an off-spinner you can have a ball that goes one way and one that goes the other and one that goes straight on. If someone has managed to invent one that goes underground or over the batsman's head after pitching then fair play. Spinners with a bit of mystery are leg-spinners. Ajmal can be described as a fairly wristy off-spinner, but it is the leg-spinners who are harder to pick up if anything happens."
Swann will be sticking with his reassuringly old-fashioned arm ball. "My mystery balls are the ones that misbehave off the pitch," he grinned. "Then I'll ask the batsman if he picked it."
He admits that he was relieved to come through the three-day game against the Pakistan Board XI without any reaction to the thigh strain he had suffered in England's previous tour fixture, having feared initially that it might be a recurrence of a serious injury earlier in his career.
He would love to play alongside Panesar again at the main Dubai Cricket Stadium this week, but that is still regarded as an unlikely prospect by most out here. So Swann will be the main man as Pakistan become the first team to have a crack at England's No1 Test ranking, a stature that even he concedes does bring new pressures of its own.
"The hunters have become the hunted now and I think it's an interesting challenge," he said. "It does add an extra dimension of pressure, but one we should thrive on and enjoy. I'm sure Man United have always been happy being the team being chased in England. That's the way we've got to see it. We've got to revel in being No1 and try to stay there for a decade or so."
Source: Guardian
