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Swann stunner: England bowled over as off-spinner makes shock decision to quit cricket in middle of miserable Ashes tour <br><br>By PETER HAYTER<br><br>Published: 23:41 GMT, 21 December 2013 | Updated: 12:20 GMT, 22 December 2013<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>e-mail <br><br><br>386<br><br>View <br>comments<br><br><br>Graeme Swann has announced that he is quitting the England team with immediate effect.<br><br>The 34-year-old spinner will stay in Australia with his family, but will not take part in the remaining two Ashes Tests after making the dramatic announcement on Saturday. <br><br>Speaking in Melbourne after making the decision, Swann said: 'It's going to be hard to not to go to breakfast with a miserable Jimmy Anderson each day.<br><br>VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Graeme Swann explain his shock retirement from cricket<br><br><br><br><br><br>End of the road: England bowler Graeme Swann arrives for a press conference to announce his retirement<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Facing the media: The 34-year-old takes answers from the floor after announcing his immediate retirement<br><br><br><br><br>SWANN'S INTERNATIONAL CAREER<br><br>TEST<br><br>Debut: v India (Chennai) Dec 2008<br><br>Matches: 60<br><br>Wickets: 255<br><br>Best figures: 6/65<br><br>ODIs<br><br>Debut: v South Africa (Bloemfontein) Jan 2000<br><br>Matches: 79<br><br>Wickets: 104<br><br>Best figures: 5/28<br><br>FIRST CLASS<br><br>Debut: Northants v Surrey (Oval) Apr 1998 <br><br>Matches: 252<br><br>Wickets: 739<br><br>Best figures:  789bet 7/33<br><br><br><br>'I genuinely will miss cricket and the banter and I'm nervous about that. To carry on just for those reasons would be selfish for me.<br><br>'I knew half-way through the Adelaide game. I told Andy (Flower) and Cooky (Alastair Cook) on Saturday. I made sure the dust settled and kept asking myself "have you made the right decision?" It came back to the same thing.<br><br>'It was very difficult to talk to Cooky. He's one of my best mates so I sat down with a coffee and blurted it out. Just like one of his team talks - it didn't make any sense.<br><br>'My body doesn't feel like it can play five day cricket anymore. It was quite emotional for most of us.<br><br>'I wish the England side all the luck in the world. I'm an England fan and I hope they are the No 1 team in the world again.'<br><br>Asked whether he was the first of many senior players to retire, Swann said: 'I honestly don't know. It's no secret a lot of guys are getting on a bit. Maybe a couple more will follow.<br><br>'But I haven't spoken to others about that other than Jimmy and he's not doing it. You do have to have new blood going in. Ben Stokes showed what a great player he is.'<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>King: He immortalised the sprinkler dance after England won the Ashes in Australia during 2010/11<br><br><br><br><br><br>Bails flying: He always had the canny ability to take wickets in the first over of a spell<br><br><br><br>Concern had been growing during the series that Swann had not been getting the same spin on the ball as he had done in his prime. <br><br>He was held back by a chronic elbow injury, which required surgery earlier this year and prevented him from playing at his best.<br><br>Swann's retirement creates a problem for England because of the [https://www.thefashionablehousewife.com/?s=paucity paucity] of good quality spinners.<br><br>Monty Panesar can fill in for Swann for now, but he is not the long-term answer. There is no one of the same class as Swann and no one emerging to take his place. <br><br>Simon Kerrigan was not selected for the tour party but instead was sent back to Loughborough to do remedial work on his action. He will not be able to slip seamlessly into the gap left by Swann.<br><br><br><br><br>Heavy heart: Off-spinner Swann concedes he will miss the camaraderie of the England setup<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>GRAEME SWANN'S FIVE FINEST TEST MATCHES<br><br>2009 v Australia at The Oval<br><br>Asked on Sunday to name the greatest moment of his career, Swann nominated the dismissal of Mike Hussey, caught by his good friend Alastair Cook at short leg, on the last afternoon of the 2009 Ashes. England had just regained the urn, and Swann had finished the game - and his first series against Australia - with figures of 8 for 158. Amazingly, [https://www.martindale.com/Results.aspx?ft=2&frm=freesearch&lfd=Y&afs=Australia Australia] had dropped their only frontline spinner, Nathan Hauritz, at a venue where the pitch started dry. And Swann took full advantage. The memory, he said, still gives him goosebumps.<br><br>2009-10 v South Africa at Durban<br><br>South Africa were still fuming over England's great escape in the first Test at Centurion when Swann spun Andrew Strauss's team to one of their most famous away wins, a result that doesn't always get the credit it deserves because of English cricket's obsession with the Ashes. He followed first-innings figures of 4 for 110 with a second-innings bag of 5 for 54 as he and Stuart Broad blew away the South Africans for 133. England  789bet casino won by an innings.<br><br>2011-12 v Sri Lanka in Colombo<br><br>England had lost four Tests in a row to Pakistan and Sri Lanka when Swann and Kevin Pietersen shared the honours in their series-squaring win at the P Sara Oval in Sri Lanka's capital. While Pietersen hit a stunning 151 from 166 balls, Swann twirled his way to a match analysis of 10 for 181, one of three 10-wicket hauls in his Test career. England won by eight wickets - a result which arguably helped extend the reign of Andrew Strauss for another months.<br><br>2012-13 v India at Mumbai<br><br>Alastair Cook's team faced ridicule after a thrashing in the first Test at Ahmedabad, but England drafted in Monty Panesar for  [http://bkh-ie.co.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=377820 mark booker | online gambling | online casino | casino |] the Mumbai game to keep Swann company, and the two spinners claimed 19 wickets between them on a surface offering pace and turn. Swann took eight wickets, Panesar 11, and the result instilled in England the belief they could achieve their first series win in India for 28 years. A victory at Kolkata and a draw at Nagpur inked their place into the history books.<br><br>2013 v Australia at Lord's<br><br>England moved into a 2-0 lead over Australia with their second-biggest victory over them in terms of runs - and Swann led the way with figures of 9 for 122. The damage was done in Australia's first innings, when the tourists collapsed from 42 without loss to 122 all out, with Swann returning figures of 5 for 44. Four more in the second innings wrapped up an England win by 347 runs, and all but sealed a third successive Ashes triumph. <br><br>By Lawrence Booth<br><br><br><br><br>Time to give someone else a go: Swann said winning three Ashes series was his greatest achievement<br><br><br><br><br><br>Swann played 79 one-day internationals, claiming 104 wickets and spending a spell as the top ranked ODI bowler in 2011. He was also a part of England's World Twenty20-winning team in 2010.<br><br>'I don't regret a single day of my career,' he said in an earlier statement. 'Every high has been celebrated with verve and vigour and every low painfully accepted as a chance to learn and improve.<br><br>'My personal highlights include the three Ashes victories, which I will cherish for the rest of my life, and the World T20 victory in the West Indies which ranks as my limited-overs highlight.<br><br>'I have met, played with and against, and become friends with some magnificent people throughout my journey and feel truly privileged to have been given these opportunities.<br><br><br><br><br>Prolific: Graeme Swann has won three Ashes series in his time as an England player<br><br><br><br><br><br>Right time to go? Swann has not shown quite the same level of performance this series as before<br><br>'I'd also like to pay tribute to both Northamptonshire County Cricket Club for giving me my grounding in the game and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club for turning me into the cricketer I wanted to be.<br><br>'Two Championship titles and my maiden one-day final victory with the Outlaws are also achievements of which I am immensely proud.<br><br>'With two games to go in Australia and then a fiercely competitive summer against Sri Lanka and India I feel that it is a great time for someone else to strap themselves in and hopefully enjoy the ride as much as I have.<br><br>'Finally I'd like to thank all my England team mates for their non-stop support and camaraderie and of course wish Andy Flower and Alastair Cook all the success in the world for the future. First and foremost I am a fervent England fan at heart.'<br><br><br>TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR SWANN FROM THE CRICKETING WORLD<br><br>Michael Vaughan ‏@MichaelVaughan<br><br>Too soon IMO for Graeme Swann 2 retire but it's been a absolute pleasure watching him perform for many years.Finger spin out of the top draw<br><br>Stuart Broad ‏@StuartBroad8<br><br>A great friend and team mate retired 2day. Been a pleasure to play and tour for Notts and England with @Swannyg66<br><br>Tim Bresnan ‏@timbresnan<br><br>Huge congratulations to @Swannyg66 on a great career in cricket.I will miss your constant put downs and abuse of my mental capacity.#loveyou<br><br>Glenn McGrath ‏@glennmcgrath11<br><br>Congratulations to @Swannyg66 on a magnificent career. He's one of the main reasons England's done so well. Good luck in your retirement.<br><br>Phil Tufnell ‏@philtufnell<br><br>Slightly surprised to see Swann go now, maybe he wasn't going to be play in Melbourne. All the same he is going to be impossible to replace.<br><br>Alec Stewart ‏@StewieCricket<br><br>Congrats to @Swannyg66 on a fine career. Many a left hander will be celebrating! A high class bowler & very funny man!<br><br>Monty Panesar ‏@MontyPanesar<br><br>Congrats @Swannyg66 on brilliant career,will miss playing with the fellow twin..twins<br><br>Darren Lehmann ‏@darren_lehmann<br><br>Congratulations to Graeme Swan on a great career ! #Ashes enjoyed his banter and fight good bowler !<br><br><br><br>Talisman: The good times: England have achieved a huge amount of success since Swann joined<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Huge fun: Swann has been an effervescent character for the England team since he was first picked<br><br><br><br><br><br>Coach Andy Flower added: 'Graeme Swann has made an outstanding contribution to the England cricket team in all formats throughout an incredibly successful career and I would like to congratulate him on all that he has achieved.<br><br>'His commitment, competitive spirit and sense of humour have been recognised and admired by team mates and supporters alike and he has played a big part in England's success over the last five years.<br><br><br><br>Walking away: Swann has bowled his last delivery<br><br><br><br>'The dressing room will be a very different place without Graeme's unique personality and I would like to wish him all the very best for the future.'<br><br>Swann's retirement comes just days after he apologised for an ill-advised comment on social media, when he compared England's Ashes defeat to being raped.<br><br>But he has been a hugely popular member of the England side, known for his irreverent attitude and sense of humour, as well as his double act with team-mate Anderson.<br><br>Swann's opposite number in the Australia team, Nathan Lyon, paid tribute to his 'unbelievable' fellow off-spinner.<br><br>'He's someone who I've looked up to a lot,' Lyon told cricket.com.au. 'His career stats stand for themselves, he's been an unbelievable spinner and someone who I watched pretty closely in my time.<br>"I'm sure he will be sorely missed in the England team but I wish him all the best in the future.'<br><br>Australia paceman Ryan Harris admitted the announcement had taken him completely by surprise.<br><br>'I don't know what to say, I thought he'd bowled okay in the series, just without luck I guess,' said Harris. 'I feel that we've played him very well too.<br><br>'Something's obviously not quite right with him, or he's fulfilled whatever he wanted to do, but to me that's a huge shock.'<br><br><br><br>Called it a day: Swann was England's main spinner for the entirety of his time in the team<br><br><br><br>GRAEME SWANN: FACTFILE<br><br>1979: March 24 - Born in Northampton.<br>1998: Signs for Northamptonshire. Wins Under-19 World Cup with England in South Africa. Also scores maiden half-century and century during the season against Leicestershire.<br>2000: January 23 - Makes one-day-international debut against South Africa.<br>2002: Scores highest first-class score of 183 in a partnership of 318 with captain Mike Hussey.<br>2005: Moves to Nottinghamshire.<br>2007: Returns to England duty for the tour of Sri Lanka after finishing the domestic season with 516 runs and 45 wickets.<br>2008: December 11 - Makes Test debut against India. Takes the wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid in his first Test over.<br>2009: Returns to England side and takes five for 57 against West Indies in third Test. Also takes five wickets in fourth Test. Later takes five wickets against the same opposition at Lord's.<br>In the Ashes he helps England regain the urn, taking four for 87 in second Test at Lord's. Memorably claims wicket of Mike Hussey to seal the Ashes in final Test.<br>2009/2010: Takes five for 110 and scores 85 runs in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion and match figures of nine for 164 at Durban as England win by an innings and 98 runs.<br>March - Becomes first English off-spinner since Jim Laker to take 10 wickets in a match in the win over Bangladesh.<br>January 29 - Marries wife Sarah.<br>Helps England win World Twenty20 in West Indies, taking one for 17 from four overs in the final against Australia. Finishes tournament with 10 wickets at an average of 14.4.<br>April 2 - Fails breath test after being stopped by police in Nottingham.<br>August - Tells court he was only driving at the time as he needed to buy screwdrivers to rescue his cat which was trapped under floorboards. Is later cleared.<br>May: Named ECB Cricketer of the Year.<br>Takes Test-best six for 65 in second Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston and match figures of seven for 118 at the Oval, followed by four for 12 and five for 62 at Lord's.<br>2011: Helps England retain Ashes and then become the first touring side to win in Australia for 24 years as they take the Test series.<br>March - Is England's top wicket-taker as they exit World Cup at quarter-final stage.<br>July - Reaches top of ODI bowling rankings. Is also ranked second in Test rankings, behind Dale Steyn.<br>Takes nine wickets in final match of 4-0 whitewash of India, a series which takes England top of ICC rankings.<br>September - Captains England's T20 side against West Indies.<br>2012: December - Takes 20 wickets as England win Test series in India for first time since 1984/5.<br>2013: March - Misses tour of New Zealand after of elbow surgery.<br>May - Returns to face same opposition on home soil and claims third 10-wicket haul in Headingley victory.<br>September - Finishes England's 3-0 Ashes series victory with 26 wickets.<br>December 22 - Announces retirement days after England surrender Ashes, going 3-0 down with two matches to play.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>RELATED ARTICLES<br><br>Previous<br><br>1<br><br>Next<br><br><br><br>If I am in a fight, I want to win it. I'm a bit of a lad!... STEVEN FINN: I am working my nuts off to try and get back on... Young Stokes was erratic, but boy could he smash the ball...... 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