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Graeme Swann: The Breaks Are Off - My Autobiography: The Breaks Are Off - My Autobiography

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Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. The Breaks Are Off: My Autobiography by Graeme Swann. 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 A County Championship winner in his debut season, he was back in the England fold at the end of his third.

The Breaks Are Off: My Autobiography

You cannot keep the spotlight off him for long. Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

To ask other readers questions about The Breaks Are Off , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Strangely enough for an autobiography my biggest criticism of this book is that it is too selfless. This is less the story of graeme swann and more the story of the england cricket team This is particularly true in the second half after the obligatory early-years stuff.

Swann is such a funny and engaging character it would have been great to hear more about the off the field incidents he frequently alludes to rather than who took how many wickets and what the result was - we can easily Strangely enough for an autobiography my biggest criticism of this book is that it is too selfless. Swann is such a funny and engaging character it would have been great to hear more about the off the field incidents he frequently alludes to rather than who took how many wickets and what the result was - we can easily find that out in Wisden. Even the picture section has just as many photos of team mates than the writer!

Ultimately a bit disappointing but worth reading I suppose for the odd passage where Graeme's wit comes through. Mar 26, Nigel rated it liked it. This book was bought for me as a present and really confirmed my views.

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The narrative conveys Swann's bubbly personality. Given that he came late in his career to international recognition and success it was interesting to read his take on why he didn't make it first time round.

The Story of Graeme Swann - One of The Best Off-Spinner Ever

He does have the honesty to pin most of the blame for that on himself. The really interesting bit for me was reading a player's perspective of the 2 Ashes wins against Australia. That apart there is nothing much more in the book apart from "I did this, I did that" etc. My main criticism though is reserved for the ghost writer.

In the early chapters you don't know where you are half the time such is the jumping forward and backwards as Swann's career develops. Also there are 1 or 2 horrendous grammatical howlers which you would not expect a professional writer to make. Overall the book was pretty average, as I expected it would be.

Insightful and funny, Swann divulges many of his career and life highlights and isn't afraid to offer his feelings and opinions on each. Swann emerges as a likeable, if sometimes annoying, bloke. Being jettisoned by England for seven years clearly hurt him, but at no point does he betray any bitterness.

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By the time he made his Test debut, traditional offspin felt drab, but - in what was meant to be the age of mystery spin - Swann made the orthodox cool again. No longer do you see a young finger-spinner like George Dockrell and wish he was something else. Bowling spin needs personality, and the way Swann plays suggests he has it by the shed-load. Peter Moores, the coach who brought him back into the England fold, has talked about Swann creating a "theatre of pressure" out in the middle, and how it is through Swann's strength of character that he is able to assert himself on the game.

It would be interesting to know where Swann got such confidence, or how he thinks about the game. A glimpse is offered when he recalls spotting a glitch while watching Marcus North compile a century in Cardiff in It's one of the few insights into the mechanics of his art Swann gives. He says he "always found bowling very instinctive" and doesn't decide what he's going to bowl "until he's at the crease".

Maybe he thought delving into the mechanics would be a touch too serious for his public persona, but expanding on his thoughts about the game would have helped his book greatly.

Graeme Swann - The Breaks Are Off - My Autobiography

What does emerge is the back-story to Swann's gnarled competitiveness. His father, Ray, was a stern secondary-school teacher, high-quality club player and filthy sledger, who demanded high standards from Graeme and his brother former first-class cricketer Alec. Despite their successes, he was disappointed more often than not.

Swann's mother, Mavis, was also strong-willed, banning both sons from playing Northamptonshire age-group cricket after Alec was unfairly accused of abusing an umpire. It meant Graeme played adult club cricket between the ages of 12 and 16, which he sees as integral to his development. Though there is no intense introspection, Swann is clear about the problems he has had with management.


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From youth cricket through to the recent pre-Ashes "bonding camp", which he described as "degrading", he has never much cared for authority or guidance. Until Andy Flower, the only coaches he respected were the ones who allowed him to act how he pleased. Given the frenzy whipped up about the book's criticism of Kevin Pietersen, the actual passages in print are quite mild. Pietersen was "not a natural leader" and England "have the right man" in Andrew Strauss.