Published: Jun 19, 2013, 01:13 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 19, 2013, 01:13 PM (IST)
Graeme Swann missed England’s last group stage match due to a calf strain in ICC Champions Trophy 2013 © Getty Images
London: Jun 19, 2013
England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who missed England’s final group stage match due to calf strain, is yet to recover entirely ahead of the semi-final clash against South Africa at the Oval in London on Wednesday.
“It’s clearly a concern for us. We haven’t ruled him out totally yet for this game. We’re will see how he trains today and see how he pulls up tomorrow. There’s one thing for certain, he won’t be risked,” England skipper Alastair Cook said.
Cook was also not overtly bothered about the fact that the England top-order had come up for some criticism.
“I think the top-order have done their job pretty well so far. We’ve built good platforms, solid platforms to go on and get big scores. There’s always going to be a little bit of hit or miss when you’ve got to go in and strike from early. And then we’ve seen Morgs [Eoin Morgan] over the years, obviously Jos (Butler) at Trent Bridge and Ravi here, you only need one of them to come off to get a big total, to put the icing on the cake.”
Cook considers Cardiff encounter against the Kiwis as a good test before the semi-final.
“Obviously, I felt Cardiff was a good test to see where we were as a side in terms of having to deliver under pressure. We knew that was the case, and when it’s such a shortened game, you can get taken away from what your principles are, what you’re meant to be doing.”
“You can get distracted from it in terms of thinking, well, I just need to whack it straightaway, and you’re right, how calm we were both with bat and ball was very key.”
