Wednesday 14 September 2011

Graeme Swann New Twenty20 Captain


Graeme Swann will lead England for the first time in two Twenty20 matches against West Indies later this month.

Captain Stuart Broad and vice-captain Eoin Morgan are both unavailable because of shoulder injuries.

Off-spinner Swann, 32, is in charge of a 14-man squad for the games at The Oval on 23 and 25 September.

Yorkshire wicketkeeper-batsman Jonathan Bairstow and Hampshire left-arm spinner Danny Briggs are the two uncapped players named in the squad.

England were faced with a dilemma when Broad was diagnosed with a torn shoulder muscle on Monday that will keep him on the sidelines for six weeks.

With Kevin Pietersen continuing his rest period, Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan and one-day captain Alastair Cook had made it clear they would be interested in leading the side in the shortest format of the game.

However national selector Geoff Miller decided Swann was to become the fifth man to lead the side this summer.

"Graeme Swann is a highly-respected member of the England side," said Miller.

"His experience and leadership qualities will be invaluable when he leads a young England team next week - a role he is very much looking forward to."

Ten players involved in the Twenty20 victory over India in August have been retained, with James Anderson, Bairstow, Scott Borthwick and Briggs completing the party.

Anderson earns a recall having not played a Twenty20 for England since November 2009 while Borthwick rejoins the squad after making his international debut against Ireland in Dublin last month.

Bairstow was also included in the squad for the one-day international against Ireland but did not feature while Briggs, who took part in the England Lions tours of Australia and the Caribbean last winter, has been impressive in the shorter format for Hampshire this season.

England Twenty20 squad v West Indies: Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Ben Stokes (Durham).

ENGLAND'S TWENTY20 CAPTAINS

Paul Collingwood - 30 matches (17 wins)
Andrew Strauss - 3 (0 wins)
Michael Vaughan - 2 (1 win)
Stuart Broad - 2 (1 win)
Alastair Cook - 1 (0 wins)