Second elbow operation made Swann liability for England team

Graeme Swann, whose 255 Test wickets made him England's most successful spinner since Derek Underwood, quit midway through the Ashes series, fearing he had become a liability for the team.

Swann retired during the Ashes series in Australia because his bowling was awful and he felt powerless during matches.

He quit cricket after the third Test, describing the decision as the most sobering of his life, and added that it was a horrible feeling to come to terms with, Mirror.co.uk reports.

Swann said since the beginning of the Ashes series he couldn't bring variations into his bowling, and added that after his second elbow operation, he never really got the same revolutions.

He further said things started deteriorating further and he really felt powerless to tie batsmen down.

Swann caused a major shock when he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket four days before the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.

The 5-0 whitewash in Australia was only the third in England's history and statistically their worst ever Ashes tour.