Hauritz says pressure will be on England’s Swann to deliver in Ashes

SYDNEY - Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz is sparing no effort to pile on the pressure on his opposite number Graeme Swann, saying the England spinner will carry the weight of a nation this summer’s Ashes series.

Swann has been one of England’s most consistent performers since the 2009 Ashes series, grabbing 65 wickets in 12 Tests against South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

His performances have seen him move to No.2 on the ICC’s world bowling rankings and they also earned him a nomination for the ICC Player of the Year Award.

On the other hand, Hauritz is coming off a horror series in India (six wickets at 65.00) and is under pressure to hold his spot in the Test XI with Steve Smith and Xavier Doherty waiting in the wings.

“Swanny, there’s a lot of expectation and pressure on him, I think. Everyone keeps coming out saying he’s the man who’s going to do it for England. But our boys played him really easily last year. He took eight wickets in that Oval Test but that wicket was a Bunsen burner (big turner), Fox Sports quoted Hauritz, as saying.

He added: “He’s got a fantastic record and he’s bowling really well, but his record hasn’t always been great against Australia. All the pressure is on him.”

Hauritz said: “(Swann’s) my opposite number and I really want to have a better series than him. But I’ll tell you what, I cannot wait for this summer.

“In my mind I’m still the No. 1 spinner but you’ve got to be bowling well, all the time, to get picked for Australia. It’s such a stupid game sometimes. Little things turn into big things pretty fast,” he added. (ANI)