Strauss: Swann is flying
England captain Andrew Strauss hailed man-of-the-match Graeme Swann's impact on the Test team following the crushing victory over West Indies at Lord's.
Swann, 30, followed his unbeaten 63 with six wickets as England won the opening match of a Test series for the first time in 15 attempts. Five of his half-a-dozen victims in the npower campaign opener were left-handers and he twice dismissed Shivnarine Chanderpaul, currently rated as the world's number one batsman.
"Swann is an excellent bowler at left-handers in particular," said Strauss, who hit the winning runs in a 10-wicket victory shortly after 6pm. "I haven't seen a left-hander play him with real confidence yet."
He added: "He troubles everyone, has a good variety - and I think he's a smart bowler.
"Possibly the fact he's come in a little bit late in his career means he's had a little bit more time to think about his variations, how to out-think people and get them out.
"We're excited about what he can offer us."
Ravi Bopara's second Test hundred in as many innings set up the match for England, after they slumped to 109 for four on the first afternoon, and another of the bold picks Graham Onions enjoyed a dream debut with the ball.
Onions' maiden five-wicket haul allowed Strauss to enforce the follow-on and even the biggest stand of the entire match, a 143-run alliance between Brendan Nash (81) and Denesh Ramdin (61), could not prevent the contest finishing inside three days.
"We played some pretty clinical cricket," Strauss said. "We were in some trouble on day one - and the way, in particular, that Ravi stood up and showed his temperament under pressure is really encouraging. It was crucial to the outcome of the Test match.
"It was not easy to bat on day one - the wicket was a bit green and nipped around a bit - and someone needed to front up and play the conditions well. He did that, and it's really encouraging when you see that from a guy who hasn't played a lot before - because it's an examination of his temperament and character."
