Graeme Swann: Kevin Pietersen and I openly disliked each other on England duty
Friday 10 April 2020 12:04, UK
Greame Swann admits he and Kevin Pietersen "openly disliked each other" when playing for England - but they still wanted one another in the side.
They were part of a hugely successful team that reached number one in the world rankings and won Ashes series both home and away.
Swann took 255 wickets in just 60 Test matches but retired during a 5-0 defeat in Australia in 2013.
When asked if a splintered dressing room caused their loss of form in an exclusive interview with the In the Pink podcast, he said: "There weren't discernible cliques, I know where you are going with that.
"We are a team that got to number one in the world, and in a team there are always going to be individuals. Ninety-nine per cent of that side were all in it for the team."
Pietersen was made England captain for a brief spell in 2008 but was only in charge for three Tests and 10 ODIs before a public spat with then-coach Peter Moores saw him step down.
Swann felt Pietersen's lack of fondness for authority led to that swift demise - a trait he admits he shares himself.
"With Kevin Pietersen, we had a situation where he had been captain before and didn't much like establishment and rules," he added.
"We were actually very similar in that way, and we actually got on me anD KP professionally better than most people because we very honest with but openly disliked each other. But wanted each other in the team.
"I wanted a KP in the team because he was scoring a lot of runs and playing really well, and simply he was one of the best batsmen in the world."
That argument is one which is hard to dispute - Pietersen's record of more than 8,000 Test runs and nearly 4,500 in ODIs puts him in an elite group of England players.
"There were times when it was all exterior things like the texting with Andrew Strauss," said Swann.
"When you get to the point when you're having these team meetings and discussing what you're going to do about these text messages but the player is saying 'I didn't send them'...
"And then subsequently he says he did but only because they're my mates, that certainly didn't help things."
