With the announcement of his retirement from all forms of cricket, Graeme Swann leaves behind quite the legacy. Three Ashes wins, one twenty 20 world cup and more than 1,100 career wickets, Swann has been one of the shining lights for English cricket in the 21st century.
His international debut came in January 2000, a One Day International against South Africa in Bloemfontein. Five wicketless overs, and not needed to bat, there was no headline grabbing, but it heralded a shining career as England's frontline spinner.
He went on to represent England in 60 Test Matches, taking 255 wickets at an average of 29.96. His best figures came against Pakistan, at Edgbaston in 2010. After not bowling in the first, his second innings 6-65 saw England through to a 9-wicket victory.
He claimed five-wicket hauls on 18 occasions for his country, as well as taking ten wickets in three Tests. With 155 wickets in international limited-overs cricket, too, no other England spinner could even hint at Swann's tail feathers.
After an excellent Ashes series in July & August 2013 in which his 26 wickets helped see England through to a 3-0 win over Australia, Swann was named in the ICC Test Team of the Year.
One of the finest spinners to have ever taken to the crease, Swann impressed in domestic cricket as well as on the international stage. A fifteen-year first class career saw him chalk up 739 wickets, for both Nottinghamshire and Northants, who he represented before moving north to Trent Bridge in 2004.
A further 305 wickets arrived in List A matches, as well as 98 t20 scalps taking his domestic total to 1042. Despite international commitments keeping him away from domestic action, he was instrumental in Nottinghamshire's fortunes, taking 160 wickets for the county. Not just selected for his ability to turn the ball and confound batsmen, Swann was an excellent lower-order batsman, his unbeaten 90 against Derbyshire in 2009 the third highest score by any Nottinghamshire batsman in twenty 20 cricket.