Suresh Raina and Duncan Fletcher

Suresh Raina and Duncan Fletcher field the media's questions, Mumbai, May 31, 2011

 © AFP

Suresh Raina and Duncan Fletcher field the media's questions, Mumbai, May 31, 2011
 © AFP
Posted by
M Usman Arshad

Suresh Raina talks to the press

Suresh Raina talks to the press ahead of India's departure to the West Indies, Mumbai, May 31, 2011

 © AFP

Suresh Raina talks to the press ahead of India's departure to the West Indies, Mumbai, May 31, 2011
 © AFP

Posted by
M Usman Arshad

Duncan Fletcher's India? England can knock them off their perch, says Graeme Swann

By LAWRENCE BOOTH
Last updated at 12:05 AM on 29th April 2011

Graeme Swann has thrown down the gauntlet to former England coach Duncan Fletcher ahead of India’s tour here in July, claiming that in English conditions ‘there’s no team in the world that can touch us’. 

Fletcher, who left the England post four years ago, this week signed a two-year deal to coach the world champions — with a return to these shores his first task in the most demanding role in the game.

Graeme Swann

But Swann, who played a single one-day international under the Zimbabwean in 1999-2000 before being ignored for the remaining seven years of his tenure, believes Fletcher’s Indians will be in for a shock when they arrive to defend their status as the top-ranked side in Tests.

‘If it swings around like it did last year and we play the same level of cricket, I think we’re going to give them a very good run for their money, if not beat them,’ said Swann, who is currently placed second behind South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn in the world Test rankings.

‘And if Jimmy Anderson bowls the way he did, there’s no team in the world that can touch us. India have got a couple of class bowlers: Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. But apart from those two, I don’t know how much experience they’ve got of English conditions with the Dukes ball.’

The England off-spinner claims he has no point to prove after famously falling foul of Fletcher during a tour to South Africa 11 years ago, when he was fined after twice missing the team bus.

‘It seems almost ridiculous looking back now,’ he said. ‘I was just a young upstart tourist who wasn’t good enough — I don’t bear any grudges. It’s probably fortunate I barely played on that trip, because I might have been found out and cast aside for good and never been given my eventual second chance.’ 

And Swann played down suggestions India — who won 1-0 here in 2007 during Peter
Moores’ ill-fated reign as coach — would be able to cash in on the 62-year-old’s inside knowledge of several members of the England team during the four-Test series, which starts at Lord’s on July 21.

Fletcher remains close to England captain Andrew Strauss, while Kevin Pietersen still regards his technical input as invaluable. Alastair Cook and Ian Bell were also given their break at the top level by the coach who steered England to their first Ashes win for 18 years in 2005. 

But Swann said: ‘These days it doesn’t matter from a technique point of view who the opposition coach is because you can just look at videos. 

Duncan Fletcher

‘If there is any advantage it will probably be mentally, because he’ll know some of our players better than other coaches. But there’s a lot of our team who he won’t know, which could be to our advantage as he might be trying to second-guess us a bit and could come a cropper.’

Swann, a central figure during England’s exhausting winter, plans to return to action for Nottinghamshire in their televised County Championship match against Sussex at Hove on May 10.

And he says he will not allow the second half of the winter, which petered out during an unpredictable but ultimately disappointing World Cup campaign, to overshadow the first half, when England won the Ashes in Australia for the first time since 1986-87. 

‘It’s difficult not to feel a bit deflated about how it finished, but I’m refusing to let that happen because it’s the best winter English cricket’s had for at least 24 years, if not longer,’ he said. 

‘You can take the World Cup out of it because, in England, the Ashes is bigger and always has been. I’d have taken winning the Ashes 3-1 every day of the week — even if it meant losing every World Cup game.’

England, who stand third in the Test rankings behind India and South Africa, must first take on fourth-placed Sri Lanka. 

But it is the India series that has plainly got juices flowing in the dressing room. 

‘You could argue that, after Australia, this is probably the most anticipated series for a while in this country,’ said Swann. 

If there was any doubt about that, the Fletcher sub-plot has removed it.

Graeme Swann is a brand ambassador for Kingfisher, India’s favourite beer.

Duncan Fletcher named India coach

Duncan Fletcher

India news

Duncan Fletcher named India coach

ESPNcricinfo staff

April 27, 2011

Duncan Fletcher

, the former England coach and former Zimbabwe captain, has been appointed India's coach, ending weeks of speculation over who will succeed Gary Kirsten. The BCCI announced the decision to give Fletcher a two-year contract after a Working Committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. Eric Simons' tenure as the team's bowling coach was also extended.

Duncan Fletcher

Fletcher, though, is unlikely to be with the team during the tour of West Indies in June. "The contract with Fletcher is for two years," N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, told reporters after the meeting. "He may not join the team in West Indies as he has some prior commitments."

"After a lot of thought and consultation, the BCCI president and BCCI secretary placed Fletcher's name before the Working Committee, which the Committee ratified," Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said, adding that the terms and conditions of Fletcher's appointment would be the same as Kirsten's.

Fletcher, 62, was in charge of the England team when they beat Australia in 2005 to win the Ashes for the first time since 1986-'87, and was credited with turning around England's fortunes in Tests during his eight-year stint, first with Nasser Hussain and then with Michael Vaughan.

He was England's first foreign coach and took over in 1999; soon enough, he oversaw Test series wins in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, though Australia thrashed England 4-1 in the Ashes in 2001. Later, with Vaughan, he helped England win their first Test series in South Africa post apartheid and the pair played a critical role in moulding a team that was to win the Ashes in 2005.

England won 42 and lost 30 Tests with Fletcher in charge but their ODI form wasn't as good - winning 75 and losing 82. His tenure reached its lowest ebb during a 0-5 Ashes drubbing in Australia in 2006-'07 and a disappointing 2007 World Cup campaign, after which he stepped down. One of Fletcher's problems during his England reign was a tetchy relationship with the media, something which Vaughan felt could be a hindrance in his India job as well. "Duncan will work well with all the talent," Vaughan tweeted. "His biggest challenge will come from the media ... he has never really understood how it works."

After giving up the England job, he has taken up several short-term international assignments. He joined South Africa as a batting consultant in 2008, a role he returned to for the 2011 World Cup, and was in a similar position with New Zealand on their tour of India last year.

England were officially ranked the worst Test team when he took over as their coach, and he will now take charge of a team that won the World Cup earlier this month and is currently topping the Test rankings.

One of the first coaching jobs Fletcher took up was at the University of Cape Town where Kirsten was part of the team. The pair once again were together at Western Province.

In 1994, Fletcher applied for his first high-profile job - the head coach of South Africa. He was one of the three candidates interviewed. His two other competitors were Eddie Barlow and Bob Woolmer. Eventually the three-man panel comprising Peter Pollock, Raymond White and Ali Bacher agreed on Woolmer, who stayed with the job till 1999. Fletcher, meanwhile, operated as South Africa A coach for a while before taking up the England assignment.

According to Bacher, Fletcher's style of coaching draws a lot from his playing days."Hardworking, disciplined, very professionally driven and played to his utmost potential even if he was not blessed with extraordinary talent. He brings the same characteristics to his coaching," Bacher said.

Fletcher also has been known to work on an individual basis with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis. Kallis spent time with Fletcher prior to travelling to India for the IPL.

Full name Duncan Andrew Gwynne Fletcher

Born September 27, 1948, Salisbury (now Harare)

Current age 62 years 212 days

Major teams Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Western Province

Batting style Left-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Other Coach

Relation Brother - AWR Fletcher

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.