Year in Review: Flop Test XI of the year 2013

Graeme Swann (England)

Graeme Swann

Matches – 10

Wickets – 43

Average – 34.09

BBI – 6/90

SR – 61.3

As England struggled to match the Aussies in the ongoing Ashes, Graeme Swann announced his retirement out of the blue. The criticisms and scathing remarks that he has invited from various quarters for his untimely decision may well be forgotten in a couple of days’ time, but the reason for his calling it a day when England apparently needed him the most may continue to haunt Swann for quite some time.

That he has been out of sorts in the last season is an undeniable fact and his figures, though not enormously erratic, are definitely lackluster by his standards. Not long ago was the off-spinner hailed as one of the current bests in the world, and one wonders what caused such a steep decline in his form.

His year average of 34.09 is nowhere near his career average of 29.96 and his recent statistics where he picked up only 7 wickets for 560 runs in the last three Tests against Australia emphasize his poor run in Tests and imparts somewhat rationale to his decision of ending his international career.