Swann has already established himself as England’s greatest off-spinner
Legendary England spinner Derek Underwood believes it is only a matter of time before off-spinner Graeme Swann surpasses his career wicket tally.
During the recently concluded four-Test series against India, Swann passed the great Jim Laker to move into second place and if he continues to keep himself fit, then there is nothing stopping him from topping Underwood’s tally of 297 wickets to become England’s greatest spin bowler.
“Graeme has a real chance to go on and get to 300 Test wickets if he has no injury problems,” the Daily Mirror quoted Underwood as saying. “There is no doubt he has benefited from the referral system, but he has bowled bloody well and has deserved the wickets he has got.
“I’d be absolutely delighted if he were to go on and get past me for the most wickets taken by an England spinner, and I would be the first person to shake him by the hand. He’s still got a little way to go yet, but at the rate he is going another couple of years should do it and I don’t see why he can’t do that if he stays fit.”
However, Underwood also credited Swann for being able to contribute with the bat and in the field as well.
“He’s been a terrific cricketer for England, he can catch and he can score useful runs with the bat so he’s a good man to have in the team,” Underwood added. “One of the great things about Swanny is the amount of times he has come on to bowl and immediately got a wicket.
“That is really impressive and goes to show the control over his craft that he has. He gets it right on the money from the start and that is a credit to him.”