Graeme Swann to captain England Twenty20 side

Thursday, 15 September 2011 00:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Off-spinner Graeme Swann will captain his country for the first time when he leads the England Twenty20 side in two matches against West Indies this month in the absence of injured skipper Stuart Broad and vice-captain Eoin Morgan.

Swann will be the fifth man to skipper his country this English summer, and sixth this year, when he takes charge of the side for the matches at the Oval on Sept. 23 and 25.

“Graeme Swann is a highly respected member of the England side and his experience and leadership qualities will be invaluable when he leads a young England team next week, a role he is very much looking forward to,” national selector Geoff Miller said in a statement on Wednesday. England added four players to the side who defeated India by six wickets last month, including Yorkshire wicketkeeper Jonathan Bairstow and Hampshire left-arm orthodox spinner Danny Briggs, who have yet to play international cricket. The other two are strike bowler James Anderson and Durham leg-spinner Scott Borthwick, who made his one-day debut against Ireland last month.

England: Graeme Swann (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Scott Borthwick, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Samit Patel, Ben Stokes.