posted Dec 16, 2008

Surely Monty Panesar is partly a victim of one day cricket's superiority over test cricket at the present time. It is a disgrace that this series only consists of two matches. How can he learn his trade if top-quality opportunites to play are so thin on the ground? steve Harmison also produced an ordinary performance - how much match practice has he had in recent times?

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posted Dec 16, 2008

England should play Panesar and Rashid in the next test, compare how they do, and keep tabs on their county progress until the Ashes. When the Ashes come around they should pick the BEST ONE, not both, and not Panesar on merit and because they think Rashid is too young.

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posted Dec 16, 2008

"I agree with you that he is "treated differently " as anyone else would have been dropped by now !"

Ah, yes - as we all know, in the last five years or so a vast list of English non-performers who got dropped sharply has formed...

The only player I can actually remember being dropped anything near promptly was Hoggy - and undeservedly, in his case!

I like Panesar - it's hard not to like anyone who has such genuine enthusiasm for the national side! - and I do think he will go on to much better things, but for now he probably needs to go back to county cricket and get some real practice in. Working with a decent spin coach would probably help him an awful lot too, but given our recent history of spinners that may be a touch optimistic...

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posted Dec 16, 2008

'Panesar needs more match practice' is an euphemism that he is not needed on the team. And his performance in Chennai test hasn't done a great deal to improve his CV. He mostly bowled round the wicket and a mile outside the leg stump. Lbw was simply taken out of the equation as a means of dismissal. He was getting a prodigious turn and Panesar just hoped he would bowl the little master round his legs. Whenever he came close to it the batsman just padded the ball away with immunity or paddleswept it for runs. I thought the tactic was on instruction in order to contain runs, for otherwise it was plainly meaningless negative bowling. The only way it would have worked was if there was urgency and the batsman went after him, despite the width. In that situation he would have proved a dangerous bowler to handle.
The question is if such good bowler should be put on the bench or used more imaginatively.
It will depend on the captain if he can see him being more effective and if the Mohali conditions suit offspin. To my mind he should be played next match. There are worse bowlers that need to be replaced.

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posted Dec 16, 2008

I think the phrase 'he has been found out' is apt in this case.

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posted Dec 17, 2008

I for one would love to know what direction the england coaching staff have been pushing Monty in. He's not as good as he was when he first started playing for england. have the team/coaching staff asked him to bowl flatetr and more deffensively? thats certainly what he's doing.

A specialist spin coach would surely help because Monty's playing a bit like Ashley Giles the 2nd right now and he's a far, far better bowler!

And all the comments about Monty's batting are nonsense. You don't drop a bowler because he can't bat. Not whne he's as good as Monty. He just needs guiding in a different direction.

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posted Dec 17, 2008

It's disappointing (to put in mildly) that Panesar doesn't seem (to borrow horse racing terminology) to have trained on in the time he's been in the England team. This suggests weaknesses in the England coaching set up, especially on the bowling side (the indifferent form of Englands bowlers in all categories would certainly seem to point that way).

Given that there are only so many hours in the day, I wonder also whether Panesar's development as a bowler has been affected by hours and hours of remedial work to bring his fielding and batting up to minimally acceptable standard.....

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posted Dec 17, 2008

At the end of the day Monty is in the team as a spinner!! if he is not doing his job then he has to be looked at and replaced until he is doing so. Plus Rashid took over 62 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 30.41 in the 1st division fos his club. Monty took only 18 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 48.22 in the 2nd divison fo his club. Oh and Rashid can bat as well!!

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posted Dec 17, 2008

Interesting to read the comment from Moores - "He is learning all the time and has the ability to change pace and improve" - because I think this is a flat out denial. The exact problem is that he ISN'T seeming to learn and the only change of pace you see is a quicker 'dart' when he has just been whacked for a boundary of the previous ball.

Is he still the best spinner available to England? Possibly. But his bowling needs to be spot on because he is a liability in the other two disciplines. Lets be honest though, how many left arm fingers spinners regularly bowl sides out in Test cricket? None. Vettori is the only other one of any note at all.

Panesar is clearly not the answer to England's spinning conundrum. Even Swann, despite being on debut, was considerably more effective in Chennai.

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posted Dec 17, 2008

I am a big Monty fan but I think we would be missing a trick if we did not have a look at Rashid . I would love to see him play and see how he goes .
With a tour of WI on the horizon and those bouncy fast tracks awaiting a wrist spinner maybe just what the doctor ordered.
This has to be the only decent opportunity to see him before then.
Monty is a good spinner and needs to take on board the "variety" question that has been aimed at him for 18 months now.
I don't think that dropping Monty is the way forward but I am just desperate to see Rashid in a Test Match .
Monty will bounce back.

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