Swann calls time on career

England spinner bows out with 255 Test wickets

England spinner Graeme Swann announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket with immediate effect on Sunday, in a bombshell just days before the beleaguered tourists meet Australia in the fourth Ashes Test.

Swann, who took 255 wickets in 60 Tests in just five years and is sixth on the list of Test wicket-takers for England, said defeat in Perth last week, where Australia sealed the Ashes, had cemented his decision to call it a day.