Graeme Swann has admitted that he is ashamed after his foul-mouthed rant in the defeat by Bangladesh was picked up by the stump mike, but believes that organisers should take a share of the blame.
The off spinner was fined 10 per cent of his match fee after he was caught swearing on air during England’s two-wicket defeat on Friday having become frustrated at being unable to grip the ball properly while bowling because of the late evening dew.
And while he accepts that his reaction was inappropriate, he has called on organisers to get a grip, too.
“If you’re completely taking out of the game a facet such as spin bowling, personally I don’t see the point of playing day-night cricket in a dew area,” Swann said.
“It’s obviously something that’s disappointing, what happened, and I’m a bit ashamed about my own behaviour.”
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Swann will at least get a chance to atone for that performance against West Indies in Chennai on Thursday. England need to beat the Caribbean side if they are to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals and at the same time hope other results go their way.
Conditions are at least likely to be more suited to his liking at the Chidambaram Stadium, where Swann took one for 29 against South Africa.
“I hope the wicket is similar to the South African one, because I loved bowling on that,” he said. “If I could roll it up and take it around the world with me, I happily would.”
The Bangladesh defeat was the second time in the tournament that England have lost a match they were expected to win after their shock defeat to non-Test nation Ireland.
Swann was at a loss to explain how the bulk of a side that romped to a 3-1 victory on the Ashes was proving so inconsistent in the 50-over format.
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“We’re just not managing to put both facets of our game together at the minute,” he said. “That’s something we nailed down pretty well in the Test match arena over the last 18 months. In one-dayers, we’re still searching for that magical elixir.”
Kevin Pietersen, whose World Cup was cut short by a hernia injury, has criticised the team’s “ridiculous” schedule, but Swann said England were not alone in having to cope with the demands of a relentless schedule.
“It’s just the way it falls,” he said. “The World Cup is always after the toughest [northern hemisphere] winter for us. But it’s no excuse. It certainly isn’t the reason we’re not playing well - because we’re all fit.
“If we win four games now, we win the World Cup - which is the only way we can look at it. It’s four games, and we could take home the spoils and shut a few people up who’ve been knocking us back.”