At arguably the lowest point in Englands recent Test history, with the Ashes lost, his retirement announced, and his elbow feeling about as flexible as a trapped bicycle chain, Graeme Swann attempted to sprinkle a little stardust on a demoralising situation.Personally, I hope little Scotty Borthwick

At arguably the lowest point in Englands recent Test history, with the Ashes lost, his retirement announced, and his elbow feeling about as flexible as a trapped bicycle chain, Graeme Swann attempted to sprinkle a little stardust on a demoralising situation.Personally, I hope little Scotty Borthwick gets the chance before long, Swann said. Hes a legspinner, hes got a bit of X factor as well.Borthwick, who had been playing grade cricket in Sydney, was about to return home in time for Christmas before then heading off on a Lions tour to Sri Lanka. Swanns namecheck felt nice, but not exactly pressing.But within days Borthwick was playing in the Sydney Test, not as much a planned selection as a pipe dream in desperate times. In the blur of a Test debut, he managed to take four wickets in the match and went at more than six an over, as England lost in three days on the way to a 5-0 whitewash and a cricketing civil war over the banishment of Kevin Pietersen. Borthwick looked like a promising county cricketer blown in by a strengthening tornado and deposited onto the wreckage.It was all a bit of a quick turnaround, getting the phone call: Cancel your flight home, youre coming to Melbourne, he recalls. I was massively excited to be part of the Ashes. But 3-0 down - it was a bizarre time to go into a squad.A lot of talk came out of that series. I was only there for two weeks, happy to be with a Test side touring Australia. I was having a bit of a buzz. I was on my first Test tour, I was with Ben Stokes, my mate, and a couple of other lads I knew, and for me it was a case of Im on a high here. It wasnt until everything was said that I thought there must have been a lot of stuff going on.Two and a half years on, with Englands unity restored, Borthwicks name is being endorsed again, although now in strikingly different circumstances. He is presented as a favoured option to replace Nick Compton at the top of the order for the first Test against Pakistan at Lords in July.The romantic notion of an influential England legspinner has now been supplanted - if not quite banished - by Borthwicks dominant reputation as a flinty No. 3 batsman at Durham, a considered strokemaker rather than a daredevil, his reputation forged in Chester-le-Street on what until this season have been the most exacting pitches in county cricket.The mood surrounding his potential call-up is very different. If exhilaration surrounded the potential advent of Borthwick the leggie, Trevor Bayliss, Englands coach, is determined to give the impression that selection must be earned. He named him, off the top of his head, during the recent second Test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street, as one of five possible Test candidates - the list completed by his Durham team-mate Mark Stoneman, Middlesexs Sam Robson, and two second-division batsmen Bayliss admitted he hadnt seen: Tom Westley at Essex, and Kents Daniel Bell-Drummond. To do well by Compton, he even remarked at the time: Hopefully it doesnt get to that.But it has got to that. Compton has indicated that his dropping is inevitable by taking an indefinite break from the game: as someone whose involvement in county cricket has been largely based on an ambition to win England caps, his retirement cannot be ruled out. Borthwick has one more Championship outing to underline his claims for Lords - against Hampshire at Chester-le-Street, beginning June 3.Zoom in on Borthwicks career and the tempting notion of a world-class England legspinner is replaced by something more grounded. Since his first-class debut at the end of the 2009 season, he has collected 183 first-class wickets at 35, and his batting average now stands at 38. Since Durham shunted him up the order from No. 8 to No. 3 three years ago, he has rivalled Stoneman as the most consistent county batsman in the country.In his career progression, there is more than a hint of Steven Smith, the Australian captain, who also started his career as a legspinner who batted at eight, but who now has a Test average above 60 and only 16 wickets in 41 Tests. Allowing for a bit of hedging of bets, Borthwick has come to terms with that realisation.I was hoping that my legspin would get good, he says. I was probably hoping to be the next Warne. I think most leggies think like that. You always remember your good days, but in the last three or four years I have had a lot more good days with the bat than with the ball. You just have to look at the facts: I am a No. 3 batsman who plays first-division cricket for Durham.I still enjoy my bowling - I think most leggies do - but I think probably as a batsman who bowls. Whatever I do, Ive got a passion for it and I want to do well. But in terms of legspin its hard, and it has been a frustrating three or four seasons really, because I havent got the overs in. I know my batting has overtaken my legspin.And yet England are in no mood to abandon his legspin potential. He regularly chats to Englands spin bowling coach Peter Such, and he has been sponsored on overseas trips to Sri Lanka and New Zealand to learn more about slow bowling on different surfaces. In Wellington last winter, the hope was that he would learn about spin bowling from Jeetan Patel: Borthwick attracted attention instead by getting a hundred in his first game.In a way, he has simply reverted to type. Irrespective of that England debut, he was an opening batsman in his initial matches for Durhams academy side. Only when he broke into Durhams 2nd XI was he picked as a legspinner, batting between No. 7 and 9. It is a drug that easily takes hold.It was on a coach to a Durham away game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2013 when Paul Collingwood, who had been made Durhams captain the previous season, his England career by then spent, caused the shift in Borthwicks career by asking him if he wanted to bat at three.Collingwood had batted alongside Borthwick when he made a century at No. 8 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. It was typical that his runs came from the parlous position of 50 for 6. I often used to get runs when we were struggling, Borthwick said. I used to hate coming in at 400 for 6 and would just want to play the shots everyone else was playing.With injuries around, his batting potential could not be ignored. It was a shrewd call, an example of how those like Collingwood, who feel psychologically able to continue their county careers after their England days are over, can bring immense value to the game.It was a jump from eight to three, but I thought I had to take it, Borthwick said. Id had a hundred at No. 8 at Edgbaston, but after the first couple of games, the routine of getting to the ground and getting your pads on felt pretty natural. I remember Geoff Cook [Durhams coach] saying to me at Durham after 2013, Youve gone from a bowling allrounder to a genuine batter who bowls legspin. It felt like a second career.But Englands needs - and dreams - still lay elsewhere, and when the Ashes tour imploded that winter, it was his legspin in which they set store. After that series, with Peter Moores replacing Andy Flower as head coach, England opted for Moeen Ali in the role of the spin-bowling allrounder. The Borthwick vision had been short-lived. But he understood the reasons why he was immediately jettisoned.If they had picked me as a front-line spinner, it would have been the wrong call because I wasnt bowling well enough and just didnt have the overs to go into a Test Match as a bowler, he said. They picked Moeen and hes done brilliantly well hasnt he? So I wouldnt say I was frustrated because I probably didnt earn the right to be picked as legspinner.But what Ali has done really well the last couple of seasons is once he has got in he has found a way to stay in. He has either got wickets or got runs. He has floated around the order a couple of times, which is tough on him because he is a top batsman, but he has found a way to stay.Borthwick, like Collingwood, has deep north-east roots. He is only the second England cricketer to be born in Sunderland, the working-class town that by virtue of its early vote announcement gave the first juddering indication on June 23 that England was heading for a departure from the European Union. Im told Bob Willis was the other but he only lived there for about six weeks, he says. His family is steeped in cricket, and that includes his grandma, Nana Borthwick, who rarely misses a match at Emirates Riverside and who habitually brings some home cooking along to help the BBC radio commentary team get through the day. Borthwick smiles at the habit. For me and my sister growing up, it was a case of, if you want a good feed you go there, he says. She does everything - a very good mince and dumplings, good old-fashioned northern grub.If he is given a home Test debut at Lords, he will be much in the mould of Collingwoods Durham. No county side scraps harder or covers their deficiencies in such a resilient fashion. Borthwick is quick to give Collingwood recognition.It probably comes from Collys leadership because he is the best at that. When Colly first took over as captain his first words were, We want to be hard to beat. We fight for every run and never think we are out of the game. Its a team thing we have got, passed throughout the dressing room.But Durhams playing budget is tight, Collingwoods career is drawing to a close, and those who still champion Borthwick as a legspinner still talk of a move to a southern-based county, where pitches might be more receptive to the art.Obviously the wickets here dont tend to help the leggies, he says. But Durham has been pretty loyal to me to give me the chance to bat up the order. Im in the last year of my contract with Durham, but obviously I would love to stay. Well see. Theres a lot of cricket to be played this season.Yes, there has been talk of me moving counties and people have asked me, Will you go down where it does spin? But Ive enjoyed my batting up here. And the wickets are definitely getting better here. The changed coin-toss regulations have helped, not just here but throughout the country, spinners are getting more overs in and batters are scoring more runs, and thats the case here as well. Ive bowled more overs now than I have done in the last three seasons coming to July.You never know how close to selection you are until you get picked, he says, but its obviously in my mind because its getting spoken about. Its up to me just to try and bat with a clear mind like I normally do. Each day is different: you can get a good ball. Its just a case of turning up, preparing in the right way, keep doing the right things, and when you get in, try and cash in and go big.If Borthwick has faced a painful transition in how he views himself, the England selectors will still be faced by the same process. If he is selected, and progresses, against Pakistan, there will be squads to pick for winter tours to India and Bangladesh when the topic of how England mask their spin-bowling deficiencies will again be to the fore.Moeen has pinned down an international career as a spin-bowling allrounder, Adil Rashid will hope for further opportunity, and Zafar Ansari is taking wickets again for Surrey after a hand injury wrecked his chances of an England tour last winter. All will also be in contention. There is also Mason Crane, the latest young legspinner in whom England has set store.A suitable time perhaps for England to decide the extent of their ambitions for Borthwicks receding legspin career. Vapormax Plus Triple White For Sale . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. 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There will 18 players teeing it up on Thursday for the $3.5 million in purse money offered at the no-cut Hero World Challenge at the Albany resort in New Providence in the Bahamas.Golf enthusiasts, however, likely will be focused on just one player: Tiger Woods.That intense focus and scrutiny is nothing new for Woods, but the circumstances this time around make this weekends work on the course unique. It will mark Woods first time to play an official competitive round since August 2015 after he took an extended sabbatical from the tour to rehab and recuperate from back surgery.In the interim, the 79-time winner on the PGA Tour and arguably the greatest player in the sport dropped to 898th in the world rankings. Woods also had to change equipment companies when Nike ended its manufacture of clubs and balls and rebuild his swing (again) to take less pressure off his back.Historically when Woods plays, interest in golf as a whole and participation in the sport increases exponentially. But there are so many questions about Woods and his future that cant even be addressed until he tests his game in real competition over a four-day stretch.As the week goes on, I can give you more detailed answers on where Im at and the feel that I have, but as of right now Im still at the beginning stages of that process, Woods said during a press conference Tuesday.Its nice being back out here. What most people dont really understand is how much of a fraternity this tour really is. The amount of dinners Ive gone out to with the guys, the texts, the phone calls over the last 14, 15, 16 months -- the guys wanted me to come back out here and play or help in any way possible.Woods, who will turn 41 on Dec. 30, had planned to return from his hiatus last month at the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., but withdrew on Monday of tournament week when he thought his game was not fit enough to compete.Woods said the injury to his back and the issues hes dealt with in his rehab were much scarier than the other physical setbacks hes endured in his career.There was a lot of trepidation and times where I did think of (retirement) because it was realistic, Woods said. Not being able to get out of bed, not being aable to move, how can I expect to come out here and swing a golf club at 120 miles an hour when I cant even get out of bed?When I had my knee redone and it was completely blown, I knew it was nine months, but I knew I could come back from it -- its not nerve damage.dddddddddddd But when youre dealing with a spine, when youre dealing with nerves, its a totally different deal.As much as his peers are happy to have Woods back in the fold, dont expect them to stand aside and let him roll to a win. Its a dog-eat-dog world out here, just the way Woods likes it.I feel bad for him in a way -- the expectations are so high, PGA Tour player Jim Furyk said. The rest of us can kind of slip out maybe under the radar. Every pitch shot, every putt, every 3-footer is not under public scrutiny like it is with him.He will have his work cut out for him against the likes of defending champion Bubba Watson, Olympic gold medalist Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Jordan Spieth, the 2016 U.S. Open winner in Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.My expectations, Watson said, are that its Tiger Woods. We expect him to win again.Woods, the host this week, has captured this event five times in its 16 years of existence. He will tee it up Thursday with the notion that he can do it again.I havent played in a while, but hey, Im going to give it my best, Woods said. Im going to be focused, Im going to do what I can do and put the ball in the correct spots, give myself looks and try to bury these putts, post scores, and get myself in that mix come Sunday afternoon. Im entered in an event; Im going to try to win this thing.As for after this tournament? First things first, Woods reminded everyone on Tuesday.I want to do this as long as I can, as long as the body will allow me to, he said. As far as how much golf Im going to play, I dont know because I dont know what my backs going to be doing. Would I like to play a full schedule every year for the next decade plus? Yeah, I would, that would be great. Can I? I dont know. Well see. Im going to do everything I can. ' ' '