Swann left in a spin after Strauss snub

ENGLAND could have had Graeme Swann as spin coach in Australia for the whole Ashes series rather than Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq, who went home after two Tests.

The issue is still highly relevant due to the woeful form of England’s main spin bowler Moeen Ali that continued at Melbourne — with Saqlain no longer on the tour, as he’s only employed for 100 days that surely should have included all five Tests down under.

Swann, who couldn’t fail to be a better coach than he is a pundit, would have been tempted by a spinners consultancy role with England and thought England cricket director Andrew Strauss was about to offer him the position when he rang him up in the late summer of 2016.

Swann, the off spinner who took 355 Test wickets for England, wrote in his recent book about the Ashes: ‘Strauss phoned me up and said, “Look Graeme, it’s about time we spoke about this off-spin position”.

‘My face lit up. I hadn’t put a great deal of thought into being a coach. I didn’t know whether it was something that would suit me. But in those few seconds I felt a sense of purpose returning.

‘He added, “What do you think of Saqlain Mushtaq?” I was crestfallen. I said, “Are you serious?” and he relied, “Yes Saqlain, what do you think?”

‘I said, “I think he’ll be great mate” and put the phone down. I thought I was being asked to bring on the next generation of England’s spinners and they’d gone for Saqlain instead.’ CONSIDERING

day five of the Melbourne Test started with England in a position to earn their first victory of the series, it was surprising that the England Cricket Board leadership duo of Colin Graves and Tom Harrison chose to go early to Sydney instead. However, both of them are known to be advocates of four-day Test matches. A WrY grin was the only reaction from Geoff Boycott at the news that England women’s cricket chief Clare Connor had been made a CBE in the New Year honours list, eclipsing Boycott’s OBE.

Connor and the ECB have both apologised to Boycott (right) for Clare’s tweet during the Adelaide Test that Geoffrey’s comments on Test Match Special were ‘bordering on the unbearable’. There have been frequent calls over the years for Boycott to be knighted, although his Yorkshire foes like richard Hutton would march on Downing Street to oppose it. THOSE wondering how the England team could enjoy the Sydney New Year fireworks at midnight — albeit with management — when a curfew is still in place for them to be back in their team hotel by that time should know it was lifted for one night only. Meanwhile, Bealey Mitchell, former model girlfriend of Stuart Broad now with Northants batsman Josh Cobb, is seemingly following her ex around Australia. Broad arrived in Sydney yesterday, which was cue for Bealey to post a picture of her bikiniclad self on Sydney’s Coogee Beach.