Swann spins England to victory with a perfect 10
CAPTAIN Alastair Cook heaped praise on his bowlers after England secured a comfortable victory in the first Test with Bangladesh in Chittagong by 181 runs.
Spinner Graeme Swann was the pick of the England attack, claiming his first ever 10-wicket haul in a Test match as the tourists eventually dismissed the resilient Tigers for 331 after deciding against enforcing the follow-on.
“It wasn’t easy in the last two days,” Cook explained. “Credit to our bowlers for sticking to the task.
“The follow-on was an easy decision. The bowlers needed a break and the way they ran in justified that.”
Swann’s 10-217 in the match sees him become the first off-spinner since Jim Laker in 1956 to take a 10-wicket haul in a match, and also lifts him to second in the Test rankings.
Cook added: “In the last 12 months Swanny has been unbelievable and to keep turning in winning performances is amazing. To get 10 wickets on that pitch was an amazing effort.”
The tourists now take their 1-0 series lead to the second of this two-match series in Mirpur, Dhaka, which starts on Saturday.