What he said:
“I want to do them and their family ill. I want to hunt them down and do them harm. That feeling doesn’t last long.”
Graeme Swann feels murderous when any of his teammates misfield off his bowling.
What he really meant:
“I’m a skinflint when it comes to leaking runs off my bowling and I expect my teammates to feel the same way too.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I was on the back-up team to hunt down Osama Bin Laden.”
What he said:
"It’s not to do with just being overweight, it’s the reluctance to buy into the discipline of it that was his downfall."
Graeme Swann is less than enthusiastic about Samit Patel’s return to the English squad. The off-spinner believes that the unwillingness to control his weight pointed to disciplinary issues which earned the all-rounder his teammates’ approbation.
What he really meant:
“If you can’t keep off the food and keep off the kilos, mate, get off the gravy train.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I’m a huge Ramesh Powar fan.”
“I don’t believe in teamwork; give me a team that works!”
Shoaib Akhtar asserts that it’s his favourite quote.
What he really meant:
“Teamwork is about doing your job and allowing,ensuring and facilitating your teammates to do theirs well or better.”
“Everyone works but not all pull in the same direction.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“’Working in Teams’ —That’s the next stop on my motivational speeches tour.”
“Winners party, losers sit at meetings.”
Shane Warne, explaining his leadership philosophy, to his Rajasthan Royals teammates.
What he really meant:
“Celebrate the wins, they’re hard-earned.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Don’t plan for the wins.”