Rashid one of the best: Swann by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	GP Swann, AU Rashid
Event:	ICC Champions Trophy 2009/10

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DateLine: 24th September 2009

 

England off-spinner Graeme Swann believes his spin partner Adil Rashid is second only to the great Shane Warne in history as an emerging leg-spinner.

 

"Adil is a long way down the line with leg-spin at 20," Swann said. "He is probably better than anyone there has ever been bar one Australian fella but he will admit he is nowhere near the finished article - he needs to develop, learn, and play more cricket basically.

 

"It is exciting for England just how good he is at 20, he could be exceptional at 25 and a world beater by 30. Hopefully he will be."

 

Swann who is now centrally-contracted said that the side is desperately in need of a turnaround following the 6-1 humbling by Australia.

 

"Momentum has been the buzz word all summer and strangely if we have managed to have a good last session in a day or in a game it has carried on," said Swann, clinging to the four-wicket victory at the Riverside.

 

"Hopefully having one good game in a seven-match series can lead on to this Champions Trophy.

 

"We have got to make a better fist of this tournament than that one-day series. But we live in a very pessimistic country and everyone thinks English cricket is rubbish again.

 

"Three weeks ago we were the best thing since sliced bread and no amount of one-day cricket could have taken the gloss off the Ashes for me.

 

"If someone, at the start of the summer, had offered me an Ashes win and losing the one-day series 7-0 I would have taken it."