Graeme Swann has rubbished claims that domestic pitches are to blame for an apparent lack of international-class English spinners.
Swann thinks the problem instead lies in the fact that slow bowlers in this country simply do not spin the ball enough.
The 36-year-old, who retired in 2013 as England's most prolific Test off-spinner with 255 wickets, says that is a symptom of ill-conceived coaching.
"I don't actually agree with the pitches argument," Swann, who was promoting the ongoing Sir Bobby Robson Online charity auction, told Press Association Sport.
"It goes a lot deeper than that. It goes right down to the way young kids are taught to spin the ball in England. It needs looking at.
"Maybe in 10-15 years we'll have a plethora of guys who can do it but at the minute the spinners in England just don't spin it hard enough. Therefore it's hard to bowl on anything other than raging bunsens."
Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Samit Patel were all outbowled during the recent 2-0 Test series defeat to Pakistan to fuel the debate about the health of slow bowling in this country.
A lack of spin-friendly pitches in the LV= County Championship has been identified as one possible area to help the development of the slow bowlers.
Reports on Wednesday suggested the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is considering scrapping the toss in Division Two matches next season to try and reduce the number of seaming wickets.
The suggestion is that groundsmen would therefore prepare pitches that would accommodate the skills of more players and possibly re-establish the role of a spinner in the four-day game.
Swann thinks the issue is a red herring.
"If you are going to be good enough to play on international cricket you've got to be able to bowl on anything," he said.
"If you look all around the world and the way the Indian spinners spin it and the Aussie guys who spin it they all ram it in their hands and give it a really big rip and get the ball up and out and fizzing down. Finger spinners here just don't do it."
Swann's own rise to England ranks was built around a largely self-taught method that centred around giving the ball a rip and in turn getting the drift and bounce to fool world-class batsmen.
"I watched a lot of cricket on TV and always had fairly big hands so I always found it easier to spin it off my second knuckle rather than the first," he said.
"I didn't listen to coaches either. Looking back my greatest strength was that whenever people tried to change my grip I'd nod and smile and think 'well that doesn't work, that doesn't spin it enough' and ignore them.
"We need a few more guys to do that."
Swann is open to the possibility of an approach from the ECB to help teach young English spinners, adding: "I wouldn't say no if they asked me to go and re-write the manual."
Swann believes Moeen Ali comes closest to replicating the big-turning style of spinners around the world - because he too has largely avoided the coaches - and has labelled him as England's best option in Test ranks at present.
"Moeen Ali does it because he's not really been coached," he said.
"He's very natural and that's why I think that, despite the detractors, he is the best option we have in Test cricket at the minute in terms of spin.
"When he gets it right he bowls really dangerous stock balls.
"People should look at Mo and look how he rams it in and spins it off that second knuckle and gets good drift and dip. If you're not getting drift and dip then you're no bloody good."
Swann was promoting the online Sir Bobby Auction, which concludes on Sunday, and offers fans the chance to own sporting memorabilia donated by high-profile names and clubs such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Barcelona, Jose Mourinho and Wayne Rooney.
Swann has himself donated the opportunity for fans to attend an England match next year and go behind the scenes in the Test Match Special press box.
"I was asked to get involved a couple of years ago and being a big Newcastle fan Bobby Robson was my hero," he said.
"When you've got names like Mourinho already involved - it's almost a bit embarrassing to be alongside them - but it is in the name of a great cause and an absolute legend of a man."
The Sir Bobby Auction has raised over £700,000 for cancer charity since its inception four years ago and details of the auction can be found at: www.sirbobbysauction.com.
Source: PA
