NEWS ALERT

NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Saturday, August 06, 2011

A 4-0 whitewash against India is possible: Swann

England spinner Graeme Swann feels a 4-0 whitewash is possible in the Test series against World No.1 India.'I'd like to think that it's possible to win 4-0. A lot of things have to go in our favour, but if they do, it'll be a nice thing to aim for. We're the only team who can win it 4-0,' Swann was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.'The way we've played in the first two games, they've not been perfect performances and we've still won them very well. If we can iron out those areas and do everything else right, we're going to be a very difficult team to beat,' he said.Asked about his unimpressive form in the series, Swann said: 'It's easy to make the excuse that I was hit on the hand. But I just had one of those days. I got out of bed the wrong side that morning. Rahul Dravid has played me very well this series. But I don't think they needed to play me particularly well at Trent Bridge, I bowled so badly.With turning tracks expected at Edgbaston and the Oval, Swann declared himself fully fit after an X-ray on his left hand.'I'm looking forward to Edgbaston, because it did turn a little bit last year,' Swann said. 'Hopefully it will spin, because then you turn up to the ground in the morning knowing you're going to play a more active role. Turning up knowing you are a bit-part player does not always fit well with someone who likes to be the centre of attention.Recalling farcical run out of Ian Bell, who was later recalled by the Indian team, Swann said: 'It was a very strange atmosphere. Belly had taken off his pads. He thought he was out. Then rumours came upstairs that they were talking about whether to ask him back in. So people were saying 'put your pads on', and someone else was saying 'no, don't bother'. It was bizarre, really.'But what happened in the end was the right thing. India could have upheld the appeal, but it would have put a very bitter taste on the series. We don't want it descending into the sort of scenes we had at the end of last year. We really didn't like the Pakistan team by the end of the series, and they didn't like us. But so far this year, the atmosphere between the two teams has been exceptional,' he said.