5 players England must sack after the Ashes whitewash

4. Graeme Swann (Retired)

He’s retired? Yea. I know. I say sack him still.

The decision has been dubbed ‘brave’ and ‘honest’ by many and while it maybe all that, it was certainly not what the team needed in that moment. England had already lost Jonathan Trott, a senior player, earlier in the series and needed experience in the dressing room. England hardly needed a media bust-up, reports of potential dressing room feuds that were certainly avoidable. Swann’s performances were not exceptional in any way in this series but they could have been discounted given the nature of the pitches.

He could have made a bit of merry in the later contest as Nathan Lyon did but he chose to throw in the towel and was, to my mind, the primary reason for the punctured performances in the last two Test matches. The team looked mentally exhausted and rejected the challenge.