Few English cricketers have generated as much hype and hoopla as Mudhsuden Singh Panesar – Monty as he is better known in cricketing circles – has done during his short stint in international cricket. The first Sikh to represent England, he has almost instantly become a national hero, having already taken 31 wickets in his 9 Test appearances inclusive of 2 five-wicket hauls. The feat has even earned him a nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But it is not his bowling alone that has propelled Monty into stardom. Ironically, it is more to do with his ultra-comic fielding ability and awkward batting methods. There are both cheers and jeers from the crowd when he fields or midfields. His batting looks ungainly but the 26 runs he scored of just 28 balls against a Sri Lanka and a rampant Muralitharan deserves a mention. The innings included a six against one of the all-time great off-spinners!
The beginning of the journey
Born in Bedfordshire, Monty Panesar later moved to Northamptonshire where, like all youngsters, he represented a number of youth sides before being eventually selected for England Under-19 team. He was part of the team for a couple of seasons and after some impressive performances, a first-class debut came knocking in 2001 at the age of 19. Monty made fully use of the opportunity and returned with magical figures of 12 wickets in the game for Northamptonshire against Leicestershire. Things did not go as per planned thereafter though and his appearances in 2001 and 2002 were restricted. He also meddled with studies at the Loughborough University during this period. But his 17 wickets meant he impressed people enough to gain a spot in the National Academy team in Australia. His talent was very much at display here as he ended up with 46 wickets in 2005.
Monty has never looked back since…
In an effort to improve his poor fielding abilities, he even attended the Darren Lehman Academy in Adelaide. But the biggest boost in Monty’s career came when his coach at Northamptonshire, former South African skipper Kepler Wessels, asked for him to be included in England's squad for their tour of India. And we all know what happened after that. Panesar made his debut at Nagpur and dismissed the great man Sachin Tendulkar to get his first Test victim. Add to that the wickets of Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid, which undoubtedly made it a memorable first Test for Monty.
His career really took off from there and what followed was successful Test series win against Pakistan. He ended up with 8 scalps at Old Trafford on a pitch assisting the spinners. But his real Test came in Headingley where all the batsmen were plundering runs. But he nailed the key wickets of Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan – all great players of spin- and in the process has established himself as the numero uno spinner for England ahead of the much-experienced but moderately talented Ashley Giles. The fact that he succeeded against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – all great players of spin- makes his achievements all the more credible.
The beginning of the journey
Born in Bedfordshire, Monty Panesar later moved to Northamptonshire where, like all youngsters, he represented a number of youth sides before being eventually selected for England Under-19 team. He was part of the team for a couple of seasons and after some impressive performances, a first-class debut came knocking in 2001 at the age of 19. Monty made fully use of the opportunity and returned with magical figures of 12 wickets in the game for Northamptonshire against Leicestershire. Things did not go as per planned thereafter though and his appearances in 2001 and 2002 were restricted. He also meddled with studies at the Loughborough University during this period. But his 17 wickets meant he impressed people enough to gain a spot in the National Academy team in Australia. His talent was very much at display here as he ended up with 46 wickets in 2005.
Monty has never looked back since…
In an effort to improve his poor fielding abilities, he even attended the Darren Lehman Academy in Adelaide. But the biggest boost in Monty’s career came when his coach at Northamptonshire, former South African skipper Kepler Wessels, asked for him to be included in England's squad for their tour of India. And we all know what happened after that. Panesar made his debut at Nagpur and dismissed the great man Sachin Tendulkar to get his first Test victim. Add to that the wickets of Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid, which undoubtedly made it a memorable first Test for Monty.
His career really took off from there and what followed was successful Test series win against Pakistan. He ended up with 8 scalps at Old Trafford on a pitch assisting the spinners. But his real Test came in Headingley where all the batsmen were plundering runs. But he nailed the key wickets of Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan – all great players of spin- and in the process has established himself as the numero uno spinner for England ahead of the much-experienced but moderately talented Ashley Giles. The fact that he succeeded against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – all great players of spin- makes his achievements all the more credible.
A genuine spinner of the ball
Unlike, his predecessor Ashley Giles, who was very good in his own right, Monty Panesar is a genuine spinner England found in quite a while. This is because he gives the ball a prominent rip resulting in a good number of revolutions. And if you can fox someone like Inzamam-Ul-Haq, then you must be very good at your art. Monty has already proved this in the little international cricket he has played.
An aggressive bowler, his attitude to outthink batsman is very refreshing for the art of spin in an era where most try to bore out the opposition via negative tactics bar a few greats who do no need to be named. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Panesar is a "spin bowler with a fast bowler's mentality" – an idiom earlier associated with Bill O'Reilly of Australia. And why not, after all he started of as a fast bowler before quickly realising that it wasn’t his cup of tea.
In an interview some time back, Monty revealed that he too is working on the doosra- the ball that goes the other way.
The Aussies are waiting
With yet another Ashes series nearing, the Aussies have started playing their mind games yet again. And not surprisingly, they are targeting the latest sensation in English cricket – Monty Panesar. Even the Aussies realise what a difference Monty makes to the side. With the likes of Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard in the fast bowling department, Panesar would not only lend that much needed variety to the attack but has also shown that he is competent to maintain the pressure built on the batsmen by the earlier bowlers. This is something which his predecessors like Ashley Giles didn’t quite manage to do on a consistent basis.
"We'll try to make some sort of impact on him early on, and we won't let him get on top”, said Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting, on how they would try and counter the threat likely to be posed by Panesar.
Monty’s no Jonty
Even as Monty Panesar was in the news all over and continues to be, came the decision of his exclusion from the Champions Trophy probables. We all know by now that Panesar is arguably the worst fielder in the England side and no team can afford to have an ODI side with players having poor fielding abilities. And, as discussed earlier, neither is his batting the greatest. These two factors were enough for the selectors to overlook his stupendous performance in Tests. And the decision seems a very fair one too. So even amidst all the accolades, here’s something for Monty to really work hard on if he desires to earn a place in the ODI squad too.
Whatever one may say about the man, the fact remains that Monty Panesar is the most popular star in the England team today. Such has been his influence on the fans and the media that even the Pietersen mania, which was at its peak till not too long ago, has taken a backseat. Monty magic has gripped the nation and how!
