GRAEME SWANN justified his late inclusion with a maiden five-wicket Test haul to put England on course for victory over West Indies.

Swann, 29, claimed five for 57 at the Antigua Recreation Ground as the tourists closed the third day of the hastily-arranged match 312 runs ahead with nine second-innings wickets intact.

Ironically, Swann was not included in the original team selected for the Antigua Test but was called up 48 hours later after the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was abandoned.

It was only on Sunday morning he learnt from captain Andrew Strauss that he had ousted rival Monty Panesar for selection.

“I have always had a thing about bowling as well as you can to the captain in the nets whenever he bats,” said Swann. “Luckily for me the captain is a left-hander and West Indies are riddled with them, so I suppose that played into my hands a little bit.

“I was pre-warned that there was a chance I would be playing and then on the morning I was given the nod, which was great.”

Swann claimed England’s only two wickets in the morning session and was later on a hat-trick when Ramnaresh Sarwan hacked to Andrew Flintoff at midwicket on 94 and Denesh Ramdin tamely chipped back a return catch.

It did not materialise and when England took the second new ball, Swann’s chance of five wickets might have disappeared. He explained: “I came off the field to get a blister looked after, and lied through my back teeth to Andy Flower that five-fors do not bother me,” Swann reflected.

“I genuinely believed that until I took the wicket and it felt like Chennai all over again as I ran around like an idiot. The first time I bowled in a Test was a special feeling and this was pretty nice.”

West Indies opener Devon Smith and Sarwan were both out to horrible drags across the line but Swann deserved reward for a fine mix of control and aggression.

“Sarwan was a great wicket for me because he was so comfortable and I didn’t really know where to bowl to him at the time,” admitted Swann. “I had decided to give him a single and bowl at the other guy. He obviously decided he wanted to hit a six for his hundred and I couldn’t have been happier to see it go towards Fred.”

Perhaps West Indies batsmen were preoccupied with the ridge halfway down the pitch created by the markings of the football pitch at the ground.

England’s attempts to hit it were not profitable either as three sets of four byes from wicketkeeper Matt Prior testified.

But Strauss’ team will have been happy with their efforts, given that all-rounder Flintoff awoke with a stiff hip and Steve Harmison was sick before and during play.