2nd Test: Swann leads England to series win

Off-spinner takes 10 wickets as hosts defy heavy rains to beat NZ by 247 runs.

LEEDS:

Graeme Swann claimed 10 wickets in the match as England dodged the rain clouds hovering over Headingley to wrap-up a 247-run second Test victory over New Zealand yesterday and secure a 2-0 series triumph.

New Zealand lost their last four men in murky conditions on the final day to be bowled out for 220 after surprisingly being asked to bat last in a game that appeared to be at England’s mercy much earlier before captain Alastair Cook declined to enforce the follow-on.

Cook batted again before declaring and setting New Zealand an improbable 468 to win, giving his bowlers the best part of five sessions to take 10 wickets.

“Tactically, we wanted some more wear into that pitch and you saw quite a few balls misbehaved, the rough getting deeper and deeper, and I think that proved pretty good tactics,” Cook told BBC radio.

“If you’re nit-picking, with that last 45 minutes yesterday, you could have said we could have pushed on but obviously we were pretty happy with the position we got ourselves in.”

England’s gameplan was nearly scuppered, though, by persistent light rain and delays yesterday.

Off-spinner Swann, who was named man-of-the-match, made the most of the breaks in the clouds to take six for 90 in the second innings and return match figures of 10 for 132.

Just 48 minutes of play were possible in the morning session but any hopes that New Zealand had of holding off England while hoping for heavier rain to return were quickly lost when captain Brendon McCullum departed for one.

“We knew the weather was about so we needed a couple of hours and the groundsman did a fantastic job,” added Cook. “It’s great to win 2-0. I think we played better in this game than we did at Lord’s.”

England won the first Test by 170 runs.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.