England’s new-look spin department takes on India in a five-match Test series this month. Graeme Swann certainly has kept some high hopes for them. Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, as well as Shoaib Bashir are the three less experienced players of the spin department, which is headed by Jack Leach.
A hint of sting was missing from England’s spin assault during their 2021 tour of India. Leach took 18 wickets during the four-match series, but Dom Bess and Moeen Ali did not help him out. Joe Root, a part-time option, had to stand up and highlight the anguish of England by taking five wickets in Ahmedabad.
Despite the dearth of experience, England’s spin setup is just as varied this time around. The achievements of Hartley and Bashir on the home circuits have received recognition. However, Rehan has been in the team after making his debut in Pakistan at the end of 2022.
These spinners can beat any side in the world, particularly when playing rank turners, according to Swann. The former spinner coached them recently while serving as consultant for the England Lions in Dubai.
Graeme Swann spoke about this during the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, “They can bowl, put it that way, and the guys that are on that trip in India, if conditions suit and they get the chance and they can handle the pressure of it, are genuinely exciting. Hartley and Bashir could be genuinely exciting on the sort of wickets that are going to be produced by India, or you think are going to be produced.”
“They could easily roll through any batting line-up in the world” : Graeme Swann
The former off-spinner spoke about the confidence he has in the team. He believes that the spinners can easily be able to take wickets if the pitches are similar to last time.
The former England spinner added, “They’ve been picked very much for that purpose and they could be brilliant. We saw things in Abu Dhabi that genuinely had me grinning like a Cheshire Cat and I’m very excited. They’re complete unknowns to the rest of the world so should they get the chance on the sort of pitch that we played India on last time in Ahmedabad, they could easily roll through any batting line-up in the world. I think it’s very exciting.”
