Swann Crowned England’s Most Valuable Player – 18/04/12

Swann Song – Spinner Crowned England’s Most Valuable Player – 18/04/12 Graeme Swann has been named the Winter FTI MVP after his ten wickets in the Second Test against Sri Lanka helped England retain top spot in the Test rankings. The spinner held off a late charge from teammate Kevin Pietersen to collect the award and a £ 2,000 cheque for the charity Lowe Syndrome Trust. Swann’s haul in Colombo took him to 39 wickets in total in all formats over the winter. He also contributed 189 runs and took five catches in the field. His achievement completes a hat-trick of wins in the competition following similar heroics on tour in 2009 and during the home series in 2010. And it was all the sweeter as it ensured the Three Lions held onto their coveted status in world cricket. Swann said: ” I’m delighted to have won the FTI MVP after what has been a tough winter and it’s obviously great that we’re still number one too. ” It is nice to win any award but it is especially pleasing to win one where you are compared to your team-mates on hard statistics. ” Losing the three Tests against Pakistan was a real blow, but we picked ourselves up in the ODIs and again after the defeat in Galle to prove there’s plenty of fight in this team. ” The performance in Colombo bodes well for the summer, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into the Test series against the West Indies.” As well as his ten-wicket haul, Swann picked up 6 for 82 in the second innings in Galle. He also scored 34 and 39 with the bat against Pakistan in the first Test in Dubai and took 4 for 107 with the ball. He finished the overall FTI MVP 12 points clear of Pietersen. Sebastian Mathews, senior vice president of FTI Consulting added, ” Congratulations to Graeme on his win, not only for this winter, but for becoming the first person to win a hat-trick of England FTI MVP awards. It was a very exciting end to the winter FTI MVPs where Graeme was run very close and this sets us up for an exciting summer of cricket ahead of us.” Splitting the rankings into their three component parts, Swann also topped the Test Match statistics with 146 points at an average of 29.17. His total was over forty points clear of nearest challenger Jimmy Anderson, whose winter was hampered by injury. Captain Alastair Cook led from the front in fifty over cricket, scoring 113 points to win the ODI FTI MVP, and Pietersen, who scored 30 per cent of the team’s runs in the format, was the T20 FTI MVP with 46 points – three more than Swann. The awards are a statistical benchmark used by the PCA, players and coaches to examine each aspect of an individual’s game in relation to his peers. Now in their sixth season, the ranking system rewards players for every run scored, every wicket taken and every catch held. There are also bonuses awarded to those whose runs and wickets contribute to a win for the team, with captains earning points for their command of the side. Bowlers receive higher marks for among other things good economy rates, bowling maidens and for getting out higher order batsmen. In addition, batting points are handed out for high run rates and the percentage of the team’s runs each batsman contributes. Fielding points are awarded for catches, run outs and stumpings, with bonuses for five or more dismissals in an innings. Overall England FTI Winter MVP 2011/12 Player Batting Bowling Fielding Capt Wins Pld Pts Average G Swann 31.5 171.96 6 1 7.0 16 218 13.65 K Pietersen 190.13 -2.00 9 0 8.0 17 206 12.13 A Cook 146.66 0.00 7 4 5.0 14 164 11.69 S Finn 4.39 131.52 4 0 8.0 14 149 10.64 S Broad 27.23 108.88 2 2 5.0 10 145 14.51 For more information on the FTI MVP ranking system please visit www.thepca.co.uk. For more info on this release, contact Robin Hutchison at Earlybird Media on 07968 124 132 or robin@earlybirdmedia.co.uk About FTI Consulting FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organisations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 3,800 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management, strategic communications and restructuring. The company generated $1.4 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2010. More information can be found at www.fticonsulting.com.