Swann says having Panesar as Test partner would benefit England

Dubai: Off-spinner Graeme Swann has said that having left-arm spinner Monty Panesar as a partner in the Test squad would benefit England tremendously.

“In fact, I hope England pick two spinners. I would love to have Monty Panesar wheeling away at the other end when the First Test begins on Tuesday,” Swann writes in an article for The Sun. “It would great if Monty played. He is certainly in form, after taking eight wickets in our win over the Pakistan Cricket Board XI. I love playing with another spinner at the other end. I like the rhythms of the game with men round the bat and a lot of banter with the batsmen,” added Swann. “We can bowl in tandem or give each other a break from bowling. First, though, we will need to look at the pitch. If it plays similarly to the one for the warm-ups, I think two spinners might be a real possibility,” Swann says. How we fit Monty in — drop a batsman or a seam bowler — is another matter. And these are the sorts of problem I do not have to wrangle with. Bureau Report