"I know if I don't have the surgery it's more or less curtains," he said. "I'm assured the surgery i

Swann found out the extent of the problem that involves floating bone fragments - which he has managed for four years since his last surgery in 2009 - on the morning of the first Test against New Zealand in Dunedin. His concerns had been raised during the warm-up match in Queenstown, where he bowled 42 overs, and scans taken after arriving in Dunedin were then viewed by the specialist, Dr Shawn O'Driscoll, in America who said that further surgery was now required.
"I know if I don't have the surgery it's more or less curtains," he said. "I'm assured the surgery is relatively simple, so touch wood it will be and I'll wake up on the other end and everything will be great.
"I said yesterday that I was trying to go through my whole career without needing surgery again, discount celebrity cruises but the specialist came back and said something needed to be done. So be it. It's a huge year for English cricket and a huge year for me, so if this means taking a more active part in it then it's something I have to do."
Swann will travel to Rochester, Minnesota, within the next week and still harbours hopes of being back in action for the return visit of New Zealand discount celebrity cruises in May ahead of the Champions Trophy, which is then followed by the first of the back-to-back Ashes series in July. In 2009, Swann had surgery following the Test series against West Indies discount celebrity cruises in the Caribbean that finished in March and was back in time for the return discount celebrity cruises series in May of that year
Although Swann said he would only have a clear indication of his recovery period after meeting with the specialist, he felt confident that he would not be sidelined for too long after his experiences in 2009. He has been assured that the state of his elbow now is not as bad as four years ago when he had said, "it was like a bomb had gone off in there."
"In layman's terms it needs a bit of a clean-out. It doesn't seem anywhere near as dire as last time around. I knew something wasn't right [in Queenstown] as I couldn't discount celebrity cruises put an extra snap on the ball when I was bowling. I like to turn the ball a lot and I was only 70-80 percent fit.
"It all came about quite suddenly to be honest," he added. discount celebrity cruises "I've struggled on and off for the last four years but it never really manifested itself into a dire predicament for me. But in Queenstown, just before the game, I started to feel an unusual pain that I hadn't discount celebrity cruises felt since before the last operation discount celebrity cruises and it got worse during that game. I raised by fears with the doctor and Andy [Flower] discount celebrity cruises and the scans showed there had been deterioration."
discount celebrity cruises Swann did admit to misgivings as he prepared for his long trip to the USA followed by a rehabilitation programme that will involve using a CPM machine - a device that keeps the arm constantly moving day and night. The machine drove Swann "around the bend" in 2009, and Tim Bresnan has been experiencing it recently discount celebrity cruises following his elbow surgery.
"You just never know with surgery, do you?" Swann said. "And the fact you are having surgery means you have a pretty serious injury so, I was hoping discount celebrity cruises I'd get through my playing days. I want to play as much a part in this year as possible.
"It's so fresh and just landed on me. Two days ago, I was preparing for a Test and now I'm flying to Rochester to get sorted out. I'll be relieved once it's done but I'm a bit apprehensive now because I don't like general anesthetics."
This was the first time Swann had missed a Test through injury - the other three matches he has been absent discount celebrity cruises for since his debut in late 2008 were for tactical reasons - although his workload in limited-overs cricket is being managed. He missed the series in India during January and the Twenty20s in New Zealand before returning for the 50-over leg of this tour. However, he did not indicate a desire to retire from one-day cricket after the latest news.
It all means that for the New Zealand tour, Monty Panesar becomes England's senior spinner having yet to bowl a competitive delivery on the trip while James Tredwell, discount celebrity cruises the Kent offspinner, is joining the squad. If the outcome for Swann is not as positive as he hopes, either of them could yet be playing a key part in England's year.
Swann is probably the best spinner in the world and, has to be said, proved it by his 20 wickets in India. Aus don't have a decent spinner and that's embarrassing yes, but we have a more than decent pace attack that's gonna be awesome discount celebrity cruises on green tops.
RandyOz - Why is having a lower bowling average than Nathan Lyon a bad thing? The Aussies look even worse at playing spin than we did in the UAE last year, and that's saying something... discount celebrity cruises Bring Lyon to England, heck bring Doherty and Maxwell too! We'd appreciate that.
Swann, with an average of 40 against the Aussies and a career average far less than Lyon, will struggle to get back in time for the Ashes, and that's a good thing for him. That average would only increase.
This doesn't come as that much of a surprise. I think I said on an earlier forum that there had to be a reason why Monty was prominent in this tour - well - now we know the reason. @Adithya Raghunathan - beautifully discount celebrity cruises put. We are all fans of this great game - bravo to you.
Having spent the last 1-2 years playing while actually injured, Swanny's done magnificently well. This chapter of his career only serves to highlight once again who in the world has a quality spinner and who has none at all. Australia certainly fall into the latter, obviously, and it's been great watching Swanny discount celebrity cruises outbowl any Australian spinner he's come up against, just like every Aussie captain has been out-captained for that matter too. And that only serves to remind that every different Australian team has been outclassed every time the two teams meet, whether discount celebrity cruises it be in an Ashes mauling or a ODI Whitewash. Good luck with the recovery Swanny, expect to see you back for June/July.
Sad to lose Swanny - who has been ever-present in Andy Flower's successful team for the last 4 years. But it is a real opportunity for Monty - any uneveness discount celebrity cruises in the NZ pitches will make Monty a handful, as he pushes the ball through so quickly. Don't rule him out taking a 5-for in the series. You read it here first.
Assistant Editor Andrew arrived at ESPNcricinfo via Manchester and Cape Town, after finding the assistant editor at a weak moment as he watched England's batting collapse in the Newlands Test. Andrew began his cricket writing as a freelance covering Lancashire during 2004 when they were relegated in the County Championship. In fact, they were top of the table when he began reporting on them but things went dramatically downhill. He likes to let people discount celebrity cruises know that he is a supporter of county cricket, a fact his colleagues will testify to and bemoan in equal quantities.