Graeme Swann believes 'outrageous fortune' helped him bag five wickets

Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann believed that a combination of good bowling and “outrageous fortune” helped him pick his five wickets on Friday.

“It was a mixture of good bowling and a bit of outrageous fortune,” Swann admitted at the end of the days play.

Swann claimed his best Ashes bowling figures of 5 for 44 and admitted that when a full toss as the one he bowled to Chris Rogers picks up a wicket, then many things were definitely working in your favour. He went to the extent of even floating the idea that the wicket of Rogers was probably the worst piece of cricket in Test match history.

“The Rogers dismissal was very strange. I’m not sure there’s been a worse piece of cricket in Test history”. he said.

Swann’s bowling credentials are not in doubt, but its hardly likely that he will ever take a simpler five-wicket haul than this in his Test career .

Most of the the dismissals were aided by some reckless shots played by the Australians and while the wicket is offering some spin, it definitely is not a minefield.

Swann bowled with better lines as compared to his performance in the first Test match at Trent Bridge. But many still believe that he is yet to regain the remarkable accuracy that is typical of his bowling. He was surely tighter and against this Australian side more success is sure to follow.

He has now became the first spinner from England to claim five wickets in an Ashes Test at Lord’s since 1934 when the same feat was accomplished by Hedley Verity.

Source: Cricinfo