England's highly-rated off-spinner Graeme Swann had a short T20I career. But, Swann was effective and had an economy rate of 6.36 runs per over which impressed many. Despite playing a crucial role in England's T20 World Cup 2010 triumph under Paul Collingwood's leadership, Swann never played in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Over a decade after the last time Swann registered for the IPL auction, Swann has said that it is a 'real shame' he never played in the league.
"I would've loved it. I'd have been bloody good at it as well… But I was a Test cricketer first and foremost, so I was never that bothered. I look back now and think it's a real shame," Swann told ESPNCricinfo.
Swann also revealed that the ECB did not want allow them to play for the entirety of an IPL season which hurt their chances. Also, he explained why he opted for a higher base price.
"The ECB didn't want us to [play in it]. They allowed people to come for half of it, and you gave 30% to your county, 10% to your agent… You ended up taking home about 400 quid from a $250,000 contract. I remember putting my name down in the top bracket possible, knowing that if someone was going to give me that, they're bonkers, and I'd come blatantly for the money," the 46-year-old said.
Swann also pointed out that during his time there were not many England players who were successful at the IPL. Also, ECB compensated them well for choosing Test cricket over the IPL.
"There were one or two English players that came over here and did well - people like Kev [Kevin Pietersen], who this was made for - but the rest of us, at the time, were so invested in the Test team. And, to be fair, we were getting good money for that with our central contracts. Back then, it wasn't really financially worth it to miss the start of your season," he added.
Swann's all-round performance in England's T20 competition
Swann wasn't just lethal with the ball, but was lethal with the bat as well. Playing in England's T20 Blast (formerly called as Twenty20 Cup), he would often bat up the order. He has scored 683 runs from 36 innings at an average of 21.34, including three half-centuries. His strike rate in the league is 139.95 and his highest score, an unbeaten 90.
Swann's impact in T20 World Cup 2010
He has played a total of 39 T20Is and claimed 51 wickets at an average of 16.84. He batted down the order and scored just 104 runs. In the T20 World Cup 2010 final, he conceded just 17 runs from four wickets and got the wicket of Australia captain Michael Clarke. He played a huge role in restricting the target to 148.
He was England's highest wicket-taker in the tournament. From seven games, he took 10 wickets at an average of 14.40. His economy rate was 6.54 runs per over.