London: England off-spinner Graeme Swann has criticised the manner in which Kevin Pietersen led the side during his stint as England captain.
In his new autobiography, ‘The Breaks Are Off’, Swann has been quoted as saying :”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. Some people are better leaders of men and Kev, for all his abundant talent is not one of those natural leaders.”
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Swann prefers the calmer leadership style of Strauss, saying that at one point of the Chennai Test in 2008, Pietersen was reduced to screaming “F****** bowl f****** straight 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. 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.”
Swann felt that Strauss knew exactly what the bowler was thinking.
“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,” Swann was quoted as saying in the book.
The British paper disclosed the moment when Pietersen’s relationship with the then coach Peter Moores started to breakdown – before he was made captain – when Moores insisted the team do strenuous training in the immediate aftermath of a tied one-day international in Napier in 2008.
“I’ve never known one particular incident create so much unrest. The New Zealand players were just laughing their tits off at us. I’ve never been more embarrassed on a cricket field. It was such a shame because Moores had done little wrong until then and he was the man who got me back into international cricket,” Swann said. Swann speaks favourably of Moores and sees no reason why he could not return to coach the national team again in the future.
He said: “Yeah, why not? I’m surprised that he’s not had a go with another country. He’s boxed quite clever, going back to Lancashire and doing well with them.” (PTI)
