Drafted into the squad for the full tour of South Africa in 1999/–2000, Swann's meteoric rise received a jolt. While some liked the cut of his jib, others did not and England coach Duncan Fletcher already had a foot in the latter camp when Swann missed the bus for the first of two times on that tour. Suddenly he was judged on temperament and not talent. Although Swann candidly concedes he was nowhere near good enough for the top level at that stage in his career, his jettisoning back to county cricket for the next seven years, following a solitary one-day international, hinted at a career wasted. A clash with then Northamptonshire coach Kepler Wessels triggered his move to Nottinghamshire in 2005. A County Championship winner in his debut season, he was back in the England fold at the end of his third. Forever a flamboyant showman, he made up for lost time with two wickets in his first over against India—his habit of striking in his opening over a spell has become a party piece. You cannot keep the spotlight off him for long. Since moving into the top ten of the world rankings for bowlers on the back of eight wickets in the Ashes-defining Oval Test of 2009, he has not dropped outside it, and has been widely tipped to be the decisive factor in the defense of the urn in Australia.
My Rating: 4/5
I was more excited to read this book than any of the other autobiographies I had previously read - simply because it was Graeme Swann.
I know that the majority of people who read this review will not know who Graeme Swann is. He is an English Cricketer. His personality of which can be pretty much summed up here.
The title of the book was well thought of being, The Breaks are Off as Graeme Swann bowls off-breaks.
I liked how much was written about the 2010/2011 Ashes Series in Australia especially the SCG match as I went over to Sydney to see it.
I thought it was great how his personality transcends and resognates strongly throughout the book.
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