Monty Panesar
Encyclopedia
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, known as Monty Panesar (born 25 April 1982 in Luton
, Bedfordshire
), is an English
cricketer who currently plays for Sussex
. A left-arm spinner
, Panesar played Test
and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire
until 2009. He has also played for Lions
in South Africa
.
Born in Luton to Indian
Punjabi
Sikh
parents, he is the first Sikh to represent a nation other than India in Test cricket. He wears a black patka (a smaller version of the full Sikh turban
) while playing and training. He is a crowd favourite in England, and many fans have worn patkas and fake beards while watching him play.
During his early international career Panesar often received loud cheers whenever he came on to bat, bowl or field, the latter due to his history of less than skilful fielding. When first selected for England he was widely perceived as being a particularly inept batsman and fielder, which may have contributed to this reception; the TMS
commentator Henry Blofeld
once accidentally referred to him as Monty Python
, a mistake possibly encouraged by his comic reputation. After early success in Test cricket, his results declined, leading to him losing his place in 2009, but his excellent county form saw him named a member of England's Ashes winning squad for touring Australia in 2010/11.
, has a large supportive family both in England and Punjab
, his parents having migrated to England from India in the late 1970s. His father, Isher Singh Panesar, who moved to England in 1979, is a builder. His mother is Gursharan Kaur. Panesar has a younger brother, Sandeep Singh Panesar, and sister, Charanjit Kaur Panesar. His family lives in Luton. Panesar is a devoted Luton Town
fan and is often seen at matches.
Panesar has been quoted as saying, “I follow Sikhism, and maybe I’ve channelled the discipline that religion creates into my cricket. There’s discipline with any religion, and you can take it into a game or into anything else." (The Sunday Times, 6 August 2006). Away from cricket, Panesar went to St. Matthew's Infant and Junior Schools and Stopsley High School
, Luton. For Sixth Form, he studied at Bedford Modern School
. He also has a degree in computer science
from Loughborough University
. Panesar has uncut hair and a full length beard, which is a fundamental part of the Sikh
identity and way of life. He won the 2006 Beard of the Year competition run by the Beard Liberation Front
.
Nicknames for Panesar include "The Montster", "The Python" (a reference to Monty Python
), The "Sikh of Tweak" (probably a humorous reference to Australian leg-spinner
Shane Warne's
- mispronounced
- sobriquet
, 'The Sheikh of Tweak)', "Montastic", "Parmesan Tony" (an anagram), "The Beard to be Feared", or "The Turbanator" (though this generally refers to Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh
, and both he and Panesar wear a patka, not a turban, while playing cricket); however, he is most commonly known simply as Monty.
as "the best finger spin
ner in the world".
Panesar demonstrated his ability to take Test wickets in his first match in Nagpur, India, where his first Test wicket was that of the highly respected Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar
. He also bowled batsmen Rahul Dravid
and Mohammad Kaif. In the 2006 Test Series against Sri Lanka, Panesar claimed his first five-wicket haul for 78 runs, in the third Test at Trent Bridge
. Panesar went on to take 5 for 92 and 3 for 145 in the 3rd Test match in Australia, in December 2006, despite England losing the match.
In an interview with the UK newspaper Daily Mirror, Panesar stated his intention to develop a left-handed version of the doosra
, the off-spinner's version of the googly
:
On 11 June 2007, Panesar became the first English spinner to take 10 wickets in a match since Phil Tufnell
when he returned match figures of 10/187. This was achieved against the West Indies in the Third Test at Old Trafford. He took his 100th Test wicket on 25 May 2008, against New Zealand, also at Old Trafford.
in 2006 and in the Ashes First Test in 2009, when Panesar and James Anderson
stayed in for 40 minutes, and jointly surviving 69 balls to secure an important draw. In domestic cricket, Panesar made his highest first class score of 46*
against Middlesex
on 7 May 2010. Since then he has shown signs of improvement especially in the 2011 season where he hit Ian Blackwell
for three sixes proving that he can be quite a big hitter of the ball.
has been the subject of much discussion. Former England coach Duncan Fletcher had previously gone so far as to suggest that this could keep him out of the side if it does not improve. At the start of his Test career, this led to loud sardonic cheers from the crowd for completing even the simplest fielding tasks. Many commentators believe that his fielding has since improved somewhat; he held a catch in England's third Test match against Pakistan at Headingley
in 2006.
Concerns over his fielding were highlighted in the third Test match against India when a skied hit from Mahendra Singh Dhoni
came towards him at long-off. He seemed to lose the ball in the background and the ball landed five yards away from him, missing what should have been a straightforward catch. He did however atone for that error when he caught an identical shot from Dhoni a few minutes later at long-off. In the season of 2006 (after the first Test at Lord's
against Pakistan) it was discovered that Panesar required a different type of contact lens
es to the ones that he had been wearing previously, it is unknown whether these helped his fielding, despite his remarkable improvement.. Since then his fielding has improved taking a tremendous one handed catch in a tour match in the ashes tour of Australia. And being ask to field in closer in domestic cricket which shows that the questioning of panesar's fielding is no longer a problem in his game.
, who has captained him in four Tests, Panesar "will be on the ground earlier than anyone, getting (ex-assistant coach) Matthew Maynard
to hit catches to him. He will then bowl through most of the net session, before staying out long after most of the guys are back in the comfort of the dressing room, working on his batting, learning new shots, and perfecting those he already has."
coaching staff.
Paul Taylor, the former Northamptonshire seamer, suggested he switch to spin during a schools coaching session.
As a schoolboy Panesar played cricket at Bedford Modern School
for Stopsley High School, Dunstable Town CC and Luton Indian CC before being selected for the England Under-19 team. His first-class
debut came in 2001 at the age of 19. His appearances over the next few years were limited, partly because of his commitment as a full-time student at Loughborough University
. After graduating, he became a more important member of the team and had a fine season in 2005
, taking 46 County Championship
wickets at an average
of just 21.54.
In the 2009-10 season he signed to play for the Highveld Lions
in South Africa. and in the 2010 English county cricket season, joined Sussex after leaving Northamptonshire at the end of the 2009 season.
he faced competition from left-armer
Ian Blackwell
and off-spinners
Shaun Udal
and Alex Loudon
. It was suggested that his reputation for poor batting and fielding might hamper his chances of selection, but earlier in 2005 he had attended the Darren Lehmann
Academy in Adelaide
in order to address these issues. He was selected in January 2006 for the tour to India, and made his international debut in the first Test against India in Nagpur. He took three wickets, including India's two best batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar
and captain Rahul Dravid
. The former, who Panesar states was his childhood hero and was the spinner's first international Test wicket, later signed the cricket ball that dismissed him and presented it to Panesar. Panesar went on to play in the second and third Test matches, in Mohali
and Mumbai
with thirty-five of his family members attending the Test at Mohali, Punjab.
. He played a small role in the first and second Tests, taking only five wickets. He was to fare better in the third by claiming his first five wicket haul with bowling figures of 5/78. He followed this up with an explosive innings of 26 from 28 balls that included a swept six, adding 37 for the final wicket with Liam Plunkett
. This was not enough to affect the result as Sri Lanka won the Test by 134 runs.
Panesar took three wickets in the first innings of the Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, on 27 June 2006. His wicket-taking was overshadowed by Steve Harmison
who took a six wicket haul to get Pakistan all out for 119 in the 1st innings. However, Panesar took 5-72 in the second innings, and Harmison 5-57. The pair took 19 of the 20 Pakistani wickets in the match (the other being a run out) in an innings-and-120-run victory. This was the first time two bowlers had taken all bowling wickets since Jim Laker
's record match figures of 19 for 90 again at Old Trafford. In the second innings Panesar took the wickets of five of the six specialist batsmen, including Inzamam-ul-Haq
, Younis Khan
and Mohammad Yousuf.
In the first innings at Headingley, Panesar picked up three wickets including that of Inzamam-ul-Haq
, who overbalanced and dislodged the bails with his stomach to be dismissed hit wicket
. In the second innings Panesar had figures of 3 for 39. Panesar was given some credit for responding to criticism from England coach Duncan Fletcher. Despite his performances in the Test arena against Pakistan in the summer of 2006, Panesar was overlooked for the 30 man ODI squad for the 2006 ICC Champion's Trophy in India.
said, "We'll try to make some sort of impact on him early on, and we won't let him get on top. The way our left-handers, especially Justin Langer
and Matty Hayden
, play spin is to be fairly aggressive." However, he was also praised by Ponting. Ponting told the Sunday Age
, "He (Panesar) didn't look like he was scared to throw the ball up a little bit and actually try to get you out. He's got good, subtle changes of pace and, watching the other night (against Pakistan), a really good arm ball as well.". The former Australian Test player Darren Lehmann
said "He's probably a more attacking bowler than Giles
was, and a wicket-taking option for them, more so than Giles was." Commenting on the possibility of Australian crowds targeting Panesar because of his poor fielding and batting, Lehmann stuck up for Panesar saying "He should have no worries at all... He's a beautiful lad.". It also emerged that Panesar had been seeing a sports psychologist and talking to former England left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell
, another English spinner who was poor at fielding, about the ribbing he is expecting to get from the Aussie crowds on the tour, and how to prepare himself mentally for the task.
Panesar was left out of the England team for the first two tests of the series, which led to a petition being started by BBC Radio Five Live
, calling out for his inclusion. Panesar was eventually selected to play in the third Test at the WACA
in Perth. He finished the first innings with figures of 5 for 92 off 24 overs, with Justin Langer
, Andrew Symonds
and Adam Gilchrist
among his wickets, becoming the first English spin bowler to take five wickets in a Test match at the WACA in Perth, his other two wickets being Shane Warne
and Brett Lee
. He also performed respectably with the bat, finishing on 16 not out as part of England's best partnership in the innings. He remained in the team for the rest of the series, finishing with a record of 10 wickets at an average of 37.90 and collecting a total of 35 runs. He was the joint third highest wicket taker for England behind Matthew Hoggard
and Andrew Flintoff
, tying with Steve Harmison
, having only played in three out of the five tests. During the Tests Panesar played, he quickly became a crowd favourite for both Australian and English fans, eliciting cheers from the crowd when fielding, bowling or batting.
After the Ashes series, Panesar was selected in the England squad for the Commonwealth Bank series with Australia and New Zealand. He made his ODI debut against Australia at Melbourne
on 12 January 2007 and played in nine matches in the series. His attacking style, bowling economically and aggressively in equal parts, worked well, taking nine wickets and conceding 4.60 runs per over.
's group game against Bangladesh where he took 3/25 off his seven overs which included two maidens.
in May and June 2007. He got his first six wicket haul in Tests during the first innings of the first Test at Lord's
when he took 6/129. Five of his six victims were trapped LBW
, all given out by the Nursery End umpire Asad Rauf
. Panesar's first Test ten wicket haul came in the third Test at Old Trafford, in which he took four first innings wickets, and six in the second innings, for match figures of 10/187. He became the first English spin bowler to take ten wickets in a match for ten years, since Phil Tufnell
did so in 1997. He was awarded his first man of the match award for the performance. Panesar achieved his sixth 5-wicket haul in the final Test match, at Chester-le-Street
. He took the wicket of the otherwise immovable Shivnarine Chanderpaul
wicket to end the West Indies second innings. He finished the series with 23 wickets at an average of 18.69, an achievement which won him the man of the series award.
Panesar was not selected for the following Twenty20
matches, with both sides electing not to include full-time spinners in their sides. He played in two of the three ODI matches taking 1/57 overall at 4.07 runs an over.
he took 2/85, trapping Sachin Tendulkar LBW when he was on 16 runs (an identical dismissal to his first Test wicket) as well as having a good appeal for a would have been match winning LBW against Sreesanth turned down (The match ended in a draw due to rain with India 282/9 chasing 380 to win). In the first innings of the second Test at Trent Bridge
he took 4/101. In the third Test at the Oval
he struggled on a flat pitch, taking 2/217 in the match. He took 8 wickets in the series at an average of 50.37.
He played in six of the seven ODI matches performing fairly unspectacularly. He took 6/268 runs overall at 4.78 runs an over.
due to his better batting ability. Panesar played in the fifth match, where he bowled tightly taking 1/31 at 3.10 runs an over.
There was speculation that Swann would challenge Panesar for the Test place or at least play alongside him on the back of his strong performances in the first four ODIs. However, Panesar was given a vote of confidence from the England Coach, Peter Moores
, who called him "(England's) number one Test spinner". In the event, England opted to play Panesar ahead of Swann in the three match series in December.
In the first match at Kandy
Panesar took 6/178, but in the second Test at Columbo
and the third Test at Galle
he only managed figures of 2/151 and 0/76 respectively. He finished the series with 8 wickets at an average of 50.63.
. He ended the series with 9 wickets at an average of 27.22. Despite recording his best ever innings figures in the second Test, Panesar was once again omitted from the 20/20 and ODI teams in favour of the spinner Graeme Swann.
, as England opted to utilise two spinners. On a pitch which was expected to turn, his bowling appeared unthreatening, only taking only one wicket in 35 overs. He did make a contribution with the bat as he and James Anderson blocked out the final 11½ overs of the match, denying Australia their final wicket and salvaging a draw for England. In view of his lack of penetration, Panesar was dropped for the remainder of the series and has not appeared for England since.
and offspinner James Tredwell
.
, Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground
, 1 March 2006.
, Melbourne
- 12 Jan 2007
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricketer who currently plays for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. A left-arm spinner
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
, Panesar played Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
until 2009. He has also played for Lions
Highveld Lions cricket team
The Highveld Lions is the name used by the combined Gauteng and North West first class cricket teams in South Africa. The home venues are the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg and Senwes Park in Potchefstroom....
in South Africa
Cricket in South Africa
Cricket is the third most popular sport in South Africa, and is popular among English-speaking as well as Afrikaans-speaking whites. South Africa is a leading cricket-playing nation in the world, and is one of 10 countries sanctioned by the International Cricket Council to play Test Cricket.It...
.
Born in Luton to Indian
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
Punjabi
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
parents, he is the first Sikh to represent a nation other than India in Test cricket. He wears a black patka (a smaller version of the full Sikh turban
Turban (Sikhism)
A Dastar or Pagṛi is a mandatory headgear for Sikhs. Dastar is very clearly associated with Sikhism and is an important part of the Sikh culture. Wearing a Sikh turban is mandatory for all Amritdhari Sikhs ....
) while playing and training. He is a crowd favourite in England, and many fans have worn patkas and fake beards while watching him play.
During his early international career Panesar often received loud cheers whenever he came on to bat, bowl or field, the latter due to his history of less than skilful fielding. When first selected for England he was widely perceived as being a particularly inept batsman and fielder, which may have contributed to this reception; the TMS
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
commentator Henry Blofeld
Henry Blofeld
Henry Calthorpe Blofeld is a sports journalist. He is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.Blofeld had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer, cut short by injury...
once accidentally referred to him as Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
, a mistake possibly encouraged by his comic reputation. After early success in Test cricket, his results declined, leading to him losing his place in 2009, but his excellent county form saw him named a member of England's Ashes winning squad for touring Australia in 2010/11.
Personal life
Panesar, a devout SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
, has a large supportive family both in England and Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, his parents having migrated to England from India in the late 1970s. His father, Isher Singh Panesar, who moved to England in 1979, is a builder. His mother is Gursharan Kaur. Panesar has a younger brother, Sandeep Singh Panesar, and sister, Charanjit Kaur Panesar. His family lives in Luton. Panesar is a devoted Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
fan and is often seen at matches.
Panesar has been quoted as saying, “I follow Sikhism, and maybe I’ve channelled the discipline that religion creates into my cricket. There’s discipline with any religion, and you can take it into a game or into anything else." (The Sunday Times, 6 August 2006). Away from cricket, Panesar went to St. Matthew's Infant and Junior Schools and Stopsley High School
Stopsley High School
Stopsley High School is located in the centre of Stopsley near the regional sports centre .It is well established 11-16 mixed Comprehensive and Community College. Since September 2002...
, Luton. For Sixth Form, he studied at Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School is a British co-educational independent school in the Harpur area of Bedford, in the county of Bedfordshire, in England.Bedford Modern comprises a junior school and a senior school...
. He also has a degree in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
. Panesar has uncut hair and a full length beard, which is a fundamental part of the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
identity and way of life. He won the 2006 Beard of the Year competition run by the Beard Liberation Front
Beard Liberation Front
The Beard Liberation Front is a British interest group which campaigns in support of beards and opposes discrimination against those who wear them. It was founded in 1995 by socialist historian Keith Flett who continues to organise and represent the organisation...
.
Nicknames for Panesar include "The Montster", "The Python" (a reference to Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
), The "Sikh of Tweak" (probably a humorous reference to Australian leg-spinner
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
Shane Warne's
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
- mispronounced
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
- sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
, 'The Sheikh of Tweak)', "Montastic", "Parmesan Tony" (an anagram), "The Beard to be Feared", or "The Turbanator" (though this generally refers to Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
, and both he and Panesar wear a patka, not a turban, while playing cricket); however, he is most commonly known simply as Monty.
Cricketing ability
It was Panesar's ability with the ball that enabled him to become England's number-one spin bowler before being replaced by Graeme Swann in 2008. Panesar was described early in his career by former England head coach Duncan FletcherDuncan Fletcher
Duncan Andrew Gwynne Fletcher OBE is a former Zimbabwean cricketer, formerly captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team and the current coach of the Indian Cricket Team. He has been appointed as coach of the Indian Cricket Team on April 27, 2011...
as "the best finger spin
Finger spin
Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin...
ner in the world".
Bowling
Panesar has certain physical attributes that help with his spin bowling. Firstly he has unusually large hands, measuring 10 inches (254 mm), and can also rotate his hand at his wrist through 360 degrees.Panesar demonstrated his ability to take Test wickets in his first match in Nagpur, India, where his first Test wicket was that of the highly respected Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
. He also bowled batsmen Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
and Mohammad Kaif. In the 2006 Test Series against Sri Lanka, Panesar claimed his first five-wicket haul for 78 runs, in the third Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
. Panesar went on to take 5 for 92 and 3 for 145 in the 3rd Test match in Australia, in December 2006, despite England losing the match.
In an interview with the UK newspaper Daily Mirror, Panesar stated his intention to develop a left-handed version of the doosra
Doosra
A doosra is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket, invented by Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq. The term means " second ", or " other " in Urdu...
, the off-spinner's version of the googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
:
Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...
when he returned match figures of 10/187. This was achieved against the West Indies in the Third Test at Old Trafford. He took his 100th Test wicket on 25 May 2008, against New Zealand, also at Old Trafford.
Batting
Panesar is not a confident batsman, averaging just under 9 runs per innings. However he has had significant batting performances when scoring a quick fire 26 against Sri Lanka including a six of MuraliMuttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
in 2006 and in the Ashes First Test in 2009, when Panesar and James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
stayed in for 40 minutes, and jointly surviving 69 balls to secure an important draw. In domestic cricket, Panesar made his highest first class score of 46*
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
on 7 May 2010. Since then he has shown signs of improvement especially in the 2011 season where he hit Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
for three sixes proving that he can be quite a big hitter of the ball.
Fielding
Panesar's fieldingFielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
has been the subject of much discussion. Former England coach Duncan Fletcher had previously gone so far as to suggest that this could keep him out of the side if it does not improve. At the start of his Test career, this led to loud sardonic cheers from the crowd for completing even the simplest fielding tasks. Many commentators believe that his fielding has since improved somewhat; he held a catch in England's third Test match against Pakistan at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
in 2006.
Concerns over his fielding were highlighted in the third Test match against India when a skied hit from Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team. He made his One Day International debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka.Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC...
came towards him at long-off. He seemed to lose the ball in the background and the ball landed five yards away from him, missing what should have been a straightforward catch. He did however atone for that error when he caught an identical shot from Dhoni a few minutes later at long-off. In the season of 2006 (after the first Test at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
against Pakistan) it was discovered that Panesar required a different type of contact lens
Contact lens
A contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. They are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United...
es to the ones that he had been wearing previously, it is unknown whether these helped his fielding, despite his remarkable improvement.. Since then his fielding has improved taking a tremendous one handed catch in a tour match in the ashes tour of Australia. And being ask to field in closer in domestic cricket which shows that the questioning of panesar's fielding is no longer a problem in his game.
Work ethic
Panesar loves training and is becoming known for being a fastidious worker, regularly leaving the practice ground after everyone else. According to reports, one day Panesar and Australia's Mike Hussey spent a whole day in the nets, which shows remarkable determination for a bowler. According to Andrew StraussAndrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
, who has captained him in four Tests, Panesar "will be on the ground earlier than anyone, getting (ex-assistant coach) Matthew Maynard
Matthew Maynard
Matthew Maynard is an English former cricketer. He played in four Tests and fourteen ODIs for England....
to hit catches to him. He will then bowl through most of the net session, before staying out long after most of the guys are back in the comfort of the dressing room, working on his batting, learning new shots, and perfecting those he already has."
Domestic career
Originally a medium-pace bowler, he shifted to spin at around sixteen following advice from the NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
coaching staff.
Paul Taylor, the former Northamptonshire seamer, suggested he switch to spin during a schools coaching session.
As a schoolboy Panesar played cricket at Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School is a British co-educational independent school in the Harpur area of Bedford, in the county of Bedfordshire, in England.Bedford Modern comprises a junior school and a senior school...
for Stopsley High School, Dunstable Town CC and Luton Indian CC before being selected for the England Under-19 team. His first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut came in 2001 at the age of 19. His appearances over the next few years were limited, partly because of his commitment as a full-time student at Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
. After graduating, he became a more important member of the team and had a fine season in 2005
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in 2005
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in 2005 are playing their cricket in Division Two of the County Championship and Division One of the totesport League. They started the season at 12-1 to win the Division Two title. During the off season 9 players left....
, taking 46 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of just 21.54.
In the 2009-10 season he signed to play for the Highveld Lions
Highveld Lions cricket team
The Highveld Lions is the name used by the combined Gauteng and North West first class cricket teams in South Africa. The home venues are the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg and Senwes Park in Potchefstroom....
in South Africa. and in the 2010 English county cricket season, joined Sussex after leaving Northamptonshire at the end of the 2009 season.
Test selection
Due to his performances in 2005, many figures called for Panesar's inclusion in the English Test squad for the 2006 tour of India. For a place as back-up spinner to incumbent Ashley GilesAshley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
he faced competition from left-armer
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
and off-spinners
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
Shaun Udal
Shaun Udal
Shaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team for their tours to Pakistan and India in 2005/06.-International career:...
and Alex Loudon
Alex Loudon
Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon is an English former cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he was considered a promising future international player....
. It was suggested that his reputation for poor batting and fielding might hamper his chances of selection, but earlier in 2005 he had attended the Darren Lehmann
Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann is a former Australian cricketer, who made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection for the entirety of the 1990s, and only became a regular in the ODI team in 2001 and Test team in late 2002, before being dropped in early 2005...
Academy in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in order to address these issues. He was selected in January 2006 for the tour to India, and made his international debut in the first Test against India in Nagpur. He took three wickets, including India's two best batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
and captain Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
. The former, who Panesar states was his childhood hero and was the spinner's first international Test wicket, later signed the cricket ball that dismissed him and presented it to Panesar. Panesar went on to play in the second and third Test matches, in Mohali
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium
The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium is located at Mohali, just outside the city of Chandigarh. It is popularly referred to as the Mohali Stadium. The stadium is home to the Punjab team. Punjab's second international cricket stadium has been approved by BCCI in Bathinda, Punjab. The...
and Mumbai
Wankhede Stadium
The Sheshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India, which owns the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches...
with thirty-five of his family members attending the Test at Mohali, Punjab.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan in England, 2006
On 11 May 2006 Panesar made his maiden Test appearance in England against Sri Lanka at Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. He played a small role in the first and second Tests, taking only five wickets. He was to fare better in the third by claiming his first five wicket haul with bowling figures of 5/78. He followed this up with an explosive innings of 26 from 28 balls that included a swept six, adding 37 for the final wicket with Liam Plunkett
Liam Plunkett
Liam Edward Plunkett is an English cricketer, who plays for Durham and England. In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, with 51 wickets at a bowling average of 30.84, including eight for 88 in his first game of the season against Leicestershire.-Test cricket:Plunkett...
. This was not enough to affect the result as Sri Lanka won the Test by 134 runs.
Panesar took three wickets in the first innings of the Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, on 27 June 2006. His wicket-taking was overshadowed by Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
who took a six wicket haul to get Pakistan all out for 119 in the 1st innings. However, Panesar took 5-72 in the second innings, and Harmison 5-57. The pair took 19 of the 20 Pakistani wickets in the match (the other being a run out) in an innings-and-120-run victory. This was the first time two bowlers had taken all bowling wickets since Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
's record match figures of 19 for 90 again at Old Trafford. In the second innings Panesar took the wickets of five of the six specialist batsmen, including Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
, Younis Khan
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younus Khan is a Pakistani cricketer and former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Younus' name is often spelled Younis Khan, but he has been quoted as saying, "My name is Younus Khan...
and Mohammad Yousuf.
In the first innings at Headingley, Panesar picked up three wickets including that of Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
, who overbalanced and dislodged the bails with his stomach to be dismissed hit wicket
Hit wicket
Hit wicket is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is governed by Law 35 of the laws of cricket. The striker is out "hit wicket" if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, his wicket is put down by his bat or his person...
. In the second innings Panesar had figures of 3 for 39. Panesar was given some credit for responding to criticism from England coach Duncan Fletcher. Despite his performances in the Test arena against Pakistan in the summer of 2006, Panesar was overlooked for the 30 man ODI squad for the 2006 ICC Champion's Trophy in India.
England in Australia, 2006–7
The likelihood of Panesar playing against Australia in the 2006-07 Ashes series led to media commentary by some Australian players, who indicated that they would take an aggressive approach towards him. Australian captain Ricky PontingRicky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
said, "We'll try to make some sort of impact on him early on, and we won't let him get on top. The way our left-handers, especially Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
and Matty Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
, play spin is to be fairly aggressive." However, he was also praised by Ponting. Ponting told the Sunday Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, "He (Panesar) didn't look like he was scared to throw the ball up a little bit and actually try to get you out. He's got good, subtle changes of pace and, watching the other night (against Pakistan), a really good arm ball as well.". The former Australian Test player Darren Lehmann
Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann is a former Australian cricketer, who made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection for the entirety of the 1990s, and only became a regular in the ODI team in 2001 and Test team in late 2002, before being dropped in early 2005...
said "He's probably a more attacking bowler than Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
was, and a wicket-taking option for them, more so than Giles was." Commenting on the possibility of Australian crowds targeting Panesar because of his poor fielding and batting, Lehmann stuck up for Panesar saying "He should have no worries at all... He's a beautiful lad.". It also emerged that Panesar had been seeing a sports psychologist and talking to former England left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell
Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...
, another English spinner who was poor at fielding, about the ribbing he is expecting to get from the Aussie crowds on the tour, and how to prepare himself mentally for the task.
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, calling out for his inclusion. Panesar was eventually selected to play in the third Test at the WACA
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in Perth. He finished the first innings with figures of 5 for 92 off 24 overs, with Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
, Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
and Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
among his wickets, becoming the first English spin bowler to take five wickets in a Test match at the WACA in Perth, his other two wickets being Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
and Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
. He also performed respectably with the bat, finishing on 16 not out as part of England's best partnership in the innings. He remained in the team for the rest of the series, finishing with a record of 10 wickets at an average of 37.90 and collecting a total of 35 runs. He was the joint third highest wicket taker for England behind Matthew Hoggard
Matthew Hoggard
Matthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer. The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He played international cricket for England cricket team from 2000-2008, playing both Test cricket and One Day International cricket. He is currently the captain of...
and Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
, tying with Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
, having only played in three out of the five tests. During the Tests Panesar played, he quickly became a crowd favourite for both Australian and English fans, eliciting cheers from the crowd when fielding, bowling or batting.
After the Ashes series, Panesar was selected in the England squad for the Commonwealth Bank series with Australia and New Zealand. He made his ODI debut against Australia at Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
on 12 January 2007 and played in nine matches in the series. His attacking style, bowling economically and aggressively in equal parts, worked well, taking nine wickets and conceding 4.60 runs per over.
World Cup 2007
Following his performances in the Ashes and Commonwealth Bank series Panesar was selected in England's World Cup squad. He struggled to pick up wickets, only taking 7 at an average of 40.42, but bowled fairly economically conceding 4.42 runs per over. His best performance came on 11 April 2007 in a Super Eight2007 Cricket World Cup Super Eight stage
The Super Eight stage of the 2007 Cricket World Cup was scheduled between 27 March 2007 and 21 April 2007, and determined the four qualifiers for the semi-finals of the tournament...
's group game against Bangladesh where he took 3/25 off his seven overs which included two maidens.
West Indies in England, 2007
Panesar was in the team for all four Tests against the West IndiesWest Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
in May and June 2007. He got his first six wicket haul in Tests during the first innings of the first Test at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
when he took 6/129. Five of his six victims were trapped LBW
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
, all given out by the Nursery End umpire Asad Rauf
Asad Rauf
Asad Rauf, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, was a first class cricketer and is now a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Umpire Panel.- Playing Days :His career as a first-class cricket player lasted from 1977/78 to 1991/92...
. Panesar's first Test ten wicket haul came in the third Test at Old Trafford, in which he took four first innings wickets, and six in the second innings, for match figures of 10/187. He became the first English spin bowler to take ten wickets in a match for ten years, since Phil Tufnell
Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...
did so in 1997. He was awarded his first man of the match award for the performance. Panesar achieved his sixth 5-wicket haul in the final Test match, at Chester-le-Street
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
. He took the wicket of the otherwise immovable Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine "Shiv" Chanderpaul is a cricketer, and former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is the first Indo-Caribbean in the West Indies team to play 100 Tests for the West Indies and has captained them in 14 Tests and 16 One Day Internationals...
wicket to end the West Indies second innings. He finished the series with 23 wickets at an average of 18.69, an achievement which won him the man of the series award.
Panesar was not selected for the following Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
matches, with both sides electing not to include full-time spinners in their sides. He played in two of the three ODI matches taking 1/57 overall at 4.07 runs an over.
India in England, 2007
Panesar played in all three tests against India in July and August. He played fairly well in the first and second Tests but struggled in the third Test. In the first Test at Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
he took 2/85, trapping Sachin Tendulkar LBW when he was on 16 runs (an identical dismissal to his first Test wicket) as well as having a good appeal for a would have been match winning LBW against Sreesanth turned down (The match ended in a draw due to rain with India 282/9 chasing 380 to win). In the first innings of the second Test at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
he took 4/101. In the third Test at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
he struggled on a flat pitch, taking 2/217 in the match. He took 8 wickets in the series at an average of 50.37.
He played in six of the seven ODI matches performing fairly unspectacularly. He took 6/268 runs overall at 4.78 runs an over.
England in Sri Lanka, 2007-08
In October 2007, Panesar was dropped for the first four matches of the five match ODI series, the England selectors opting to pick Graeme SwannGraeme Swann
Graeme Peter Swann is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed. After initially playing for his home county Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005. He often fields at slip...
due to his better batting ability. Panesar played in the fifth match, where he bowled tightly taking 1/31 at 3.10 runs an over.
There was speculation that Swann would challenge Panesar for the Test place or at least play alongside him on the back of his strong performances in the first four ODIs. However, Panesar was given a vote of confidence from the England Coach, Peter Moores
Peter Moores (cricketer)
Peter Moores is a former English county cricketer. He played as a wicketkeeper for Worcestershire and Sussex He became the coach of Lancashire County Cricket Club, on 11 February 2009....
, who called him "(England's) number one Test spinner". In the event, England opted to play Panesar ahead of Swann in the three match series in December.
In the first match at Kandy
Asgiriya Stadium
Asgiriya International Stadium, is a Cricket stadium situated in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Asgiriya Stadium is the private property of Trinity College, Kandy. It is around a 10 minute walk from the centre of the city. The venue would usually be used when an international team toured Sri Lanka for a Test...
Panesar took 6/178, but in the second Test at Columbo
Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
The Sinhalese Sports Club is one of the most famous cricket grounds in Sri Lanka. It is theheadquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket, the controlling body of cricket in Sri Lanka. The Ground often cited as the Lord's of Sri Lanka, hosting most domestic finals and one of preeminent international cricket...
and the third Test at Galle
Galle International Stadium
Galle International Stadium is a cricket stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka, situated near the Galle fort and fringed on two sides by the Indian Ocean. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world...
he only managed figures of 2/151 and 0/76 respectively. He finished the series with 8 wickets at an average of 50.63.
England in New Zealand, 2008
In February 2008, England played two 20/20 matches against New Zealand where Panesar was omitted from the team in favour of the spinner Graeme Swann and England won both matches. Following this was the five match ODI series where Swann was again picked ahead of Panesar, although Swann was dropped after scoring only 7 and 1 with the bat in the first two matches yet he was not replaced by Panesar or any other spinner. Panesar was then selected for the three Test matches ending the series with 11 wickets at an average of 30.18, with England winning the series 2-1.New Zealand in England, 2008
In May 2008, New Zealand arrived in England for a three Test series to be followed by a single 20/20 match and a five match ODI series. Once again Panesar was selected for the entire Test series and in the second match at Old Trafford he achieved his best single innings figures to date of 6/37, including the captain Daniel VettoriDaniel Vettori
Daniel Luca Vettori ONZM is a cricketer for the New Zealand cricket team. He is the eighth player in Test history to take 300 wickets and score 3,000 runs. He is the youngest player to have represented New Zealand in Test cricket, having made his debut in 1996–97 at the age of 18...
. He ended the series with 9 wickets at an average of 27.22. Despite recording his best ever innings figures in the second Test, Panesar was once again omitted from the 20/20 and ODI teams in favour of the spinner Graeme Swann.
Australia in England, 2009
Panesar, along with Swann, was selected for the first Test of the 2009 Ashes series, held at the SWALEC Stadium in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, as England opted to utilise two spinners. On a pitch which was expected to turn, his bowling appeared unthreatening, only taking only one wicket in 35 overs. He did make a contribution with the bat as he and James Anderson blocked out the final 11½ overs of the match, denying Australia their final wicket and salvaging a draw for England. In view of his lack of penetration, Panesar was dropped for the remainder of the series and has not appeared for England since.
England in Australia, 2010-11
After strong performances for his county Sussex, Panesar was announced as part of the England squad to tour Australia for the Ashes on 23 September 2010. Panesar was selected ahead of legspinner Adil RashidAdil Rashid
Adil Usman Rashid is an English cricketer of Pakistani origins, who plays for Yorkshire. Previously a player with England Under-19s, in December 2008, he was called into the full England Test squad, for the Test matches to be played in India...
and offspinner James Tredwell
James Tredwell
James Cullum Tredwell is an English cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, he plays his domestic cricket for Kent County Cricket Club...
.
Awards
- NBC Denis Compton AwardNBC Denis Compton AwardThe NBC Denis Compton Award is an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 English first-class counties. A player may receive the award more than once.-History:...
2001 - Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007
- Beard of the Year 2006 by the Beard Liberation FrontBeard Liberation FrontThe Beard Liberation Front is a British interest group which campaigns in support of beards and opposes discrimination against those who wear them. It was founded in 1995 by socialist historian Keith Flett who continues to organise and represent the organisation...
. - AshesThe AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
Member 2006-072006-07 Ashes seriesThe 2006–07 cricket series between Australia and England for the Ashes was played in Australia from 23 November 2006 to 5 January 2007. Australia won the series and regained the Ashes that had been lost to England in the 2005 Ashes series...
, 20092009 Ashes seriesThe 2009 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia, and was part of the Australian cricket tour of England in 2009. Starting on 8 July 2009, England and Australia played five Tests, with England winning the series 2–1...
, 2010-11 - AshesThe AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
Winner 20092009 Ashes seriesThe 2009 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia, and was part of the Australian cricket tour of England in 2009. Starting on 8 July 2009, England and Australia played five Tests, with England winning the series 2–1...
, 2010-11
Test match performance
Test debut: vs IndiaIndian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
, Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground
Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground
The Vidharba Cricket Association Ground was a Test cricket ground in the city of Nagpur. The ground is known as the VCA Ground and belongs to the Central Zone...
, 1 March 2006.
| Statistics correct as of 2010-12-30. Source: Cricinfo. |
Batting | Bowling | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best (Inns) |
| 4 | 46 | 7.66 | 16* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
0 / 0 | 494 | 11 | 44.90 | 5/92 | |
| 8 | 40 | 4.44 | 9 | 0 / 0 | 1018 | 19 | 53.57 | 4/101 | |
| 6 | 26 | 3.25 | 10 | 0 / 0 | 577 | 20 | 28.85 | 6/37 | |
| 4 | 13 | 13.00 | 5* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
0 / 0 | 515 | 17 | 30.29 | 5/72 | |
| 4 | 11 | 2.75 | 10 | 0 / 0 | 412 | 13 | 31.69 | 4/74 | |
| 6 | 30 | 10.00 | 26 | 0 / 0 | 615 | 18 | 34.16 | 5/78 | |
| 7 | 21 | 7 | 14* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
0 / 0 | 700 | 28 | 25.00 | 6/129 | |
| Overall | 39 | 187 | 5.50 | 26 | 0 / 0 | 4331 | 126 | 34.37 | 6/37 |
Man of the match awards
| Date | Opponent | Ground | Record/Scorecards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7–11 June 2007 | Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the... |
Bowling: 10/187 | |
| 23–27 May 2008 | Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the... |
Bowling: 6/37 |
Man of the Series awards
| Date | Opponents | Record/Series link |
|---|---|---|
| 17 May–19 June 2007 | 23 wickets at an average of 18.69 (1 ten wicket-haul, 3 five wicket-hauls); 1 catch. 4 matches |
One-day International performance
ODI debut: vs AustraliaAustralian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
, Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
- 12 Jan 2007
| Statistics correct as of 2008-01-24. Source: Cricketarchive. |
Batting | Bowling | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best |
| 6 | 1 | - | 1* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... |
0 / 0 | 236 | 4 | 59.00 | 2/44 | |
| 1 | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 25 | 3 | 8.33 | 3/25 | |
| 1 | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 35 | 1 | 35.00 | 1/35 | |
| 6 | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 268 | 6 | 44.66 | 1/28 | |
| 1 | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 31 | 2 | 15.50 | 2/31 | |
| 1 | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 28 | 0 | - | - | |
| 5 | 6 | 6.00 | 6 | 0 / 0 | 200 | 6 | 33.33 | 2/35 | |
| 1 | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | 0 / 0 | 24 | 0 | - | - | |
| 2 | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 76 | 1 | 76 | 1/31 | |
| 2 | 14 | 7.00 | 13 | 0 / 0 | 57 | 1 | 57.00 | 1/29 | |
| Overall | 26 | 26 | 5.20 | 13 | 0 / 0 | 980 | 24 | 40.83 | 3/25 |
External links
- 'Monty Panesar Official Website'
- Cricket Online: Monty Panesar
- Video interview with Express & StarExpress & StarThe Express & Star is an evening newspaper based in Wolverhampton, England, published Monday to Saturday in nine different editions covering the Black Country, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands area from Tamworth to Kidderminster. It as widely perceived as being moderately right-wing...
- The Sunday Times' 'The Big Interview: Monty Panesar
- The Daily Mirror' 'Panesar Exclusive