Former Nottinghamshire & England off spinner Graeme Swann has been working with the England Lions ahead of their winter programme.
Swann assisted the Lions last week in their preparations for a winter schedule that will put a hefty emphasis on spin, with matches against the UAE and Afghanistan at the end of the forthcoming training camp in Dubai then a five-week tour of Sri Lanka in the New Year.
Swann spent a day at the Performance Centre in Loughborough as the Lions finalised their preparations for this week's departure for Dubai, working in the nets with Ollie Rayner of Middlesex, Somerset's Jack Leach and Tom Westley of Essex.
"Andy Flower and Peter Such asked me to get involved to talk to the spinners,” said the 37-year-old former Outlaw.
“Not so much coaching, probably mentoring I suppose – talk to them about bowling in the subcontinent before they go. And then talk to all the Lions lads about playing for England, what it means, and any little pointers I can help with.
"It's not a technical thing, I'm not a technical coach, never have been – I was never a technical bowler, I didn't like getting too deep down and dirty.
“It's about bowling and knowing the game, and what I can give them to help them move on to the next level.
"I'm happy to do whatever I can to get us ahead of the world. We should be ahead of the world - we've got better resources than anyone.
“We've got better players than anyone, I'm convinced of it. There's no talent pool better than the one we've got in England. So let's use it."
A number of young spinners, including Nottinghamshire’s Matthew Carter, are currently benefiting from overseas placements in Australia and New Zealand, funded by the ECB.
The decision to stick with the new toss regulations that were introduced to the Specsavers County Championship last season is also intended to encourage the development of spin bowlers.
Swann is typically outspoken in suggesting that more can be done.
"It's the game as a whole," he said. "The entire system, and the way we think about cricket.
“From county cricket, county scheduling, the whole pitch thing – there should be three or four places in the country where it spins square. “Playing four-day cricket, it should be actively encouraged, rather than frowned upon still.
“If it turns square on day one, people would turn their noses up. But look at what happened in Bangladesh, day one of that Test Match, turning square before lunch.
“It happens around the world - and the more places we go now the more places it will turn square because teams like us and Australia aren't comfortable against it.
“Speaking to Ricky Ponting the other day and he said it's exactly the same for Australia - people know your weaknesses away from home and they'll play to it. We need to be able to handle that.”
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