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 ...


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Swann tells England not to let ranking go to heads

LONDON: England spinner Graeme Swann says his teammates must not allow their impending ascension to the top spot in the world rankings to go to their heads as they seek to complete a 4-0 Test whitewash of India at The Oval this week.England will be confirmed as the best Test side in the world after the series but Swann believes the team must ensure they complete the job and see off the  demoralised tourists.He said: “It’s a nice feeling (to take over the top ranking) – but it’s not what we are focusing on.“We said before the series it didn’t matter if we got to number one in the world.“It’s about finishing the series well and that is what we are aiming to do at The Oval.“We want to do ourselves justice in the last game – we did that very well in the Ashes.Having retained them we gave our best performance of the series in Sydney in the last game and we are looking to emulate that here.“It’s the last Test match for a while and it’s a good chance for us to sign off on a winning note.“We have played some exceptional cricket in the last 18-24 months and it would be a shame if we ruined it all by cruising through this game so let’s make it a really good five days and see what happens.“It wouldn’t be much of a team if we just fell to pieces and threw it all away.Swann said England must not underestimate India in the final Test and stick to the game plan which has seen them land the series.“The best thing we have done all series is keep India below 300 each time we have bowled and we need to try and keep that up.“The Oval is a good batting pitch but if we can maintain the standards we have so far achieved then hopefully we can do that again.”