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This statement was made my Shane Warne. He famously said that Monty Panesar hadn’t played X Tests but one Test X number of times. This is accepted as great insight all too readily.
It’s a nice catchy soundbite and it’s from Shane Warne, but does it really have much merit? It seems to rely on this notion that spin bowlers have to be wily and full of mystery, but as far as we can tell Monty was winning England a lot of matches doing things his way. There’s no harm in looking to improve, but Monty is sometimes ridiculed and belittled despite a Test record that would be the envy of most spin bowlers.
Imran Khan never said that Glenn McGrath hadn’t played 124 Tests, but one Test 124 times. Dennis Lillee never said that Shaun Pollock hadn’t played 108 Tests, but one Test 108 times. There’s more than one way to take wickets, no matter what your style of bowling.
Ian Salisbury played several different Tests.
Today’s image was taken by Sarah Ansell and indeed most of the images we will be using from now on will have been taken by Sarah Ansell. She and her photos can be found at www.sarahcanterbury.com. Get in touch with her if you wish to republish one.
Love a bit of legal jargon
Warne’s point may have been that to be perceived to be doing the same thing over again lets your opponents off the hook. Warne probably didn’t alter his game that much from test to test, but his opponents certainly thought he did because of all his jabber. And that gave him an edge. So Monty maybe needs to give it some guff about mystery balls and all that, and then play the test just like the last one, and see if that doesn’t buy him a wicket or two more.
You’ve written one article about Monty thirty eight times.
If that doesn’t make you run for your Rohypnol, I don’t know what will.
i don’t get it.
sam, Think about the number eight. In all its different forms. Go back and read the comments on yesterday’s post. Come back here again. Think about the number eight some more. In all its different forms. The mist should lift then.
It’s a well known fact that Panesar has a full-size mock-up of the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in his back garden, and that after his first test he surreptitiously collected skin samples of all the players. The rumour is that he made clones of all the players from that match, and that he keeps them shut up in inhumane conditions in a lock-up garage in Sidcup. Warne was commenting as part of his role as chief of the Anti Cloning arm of the ICC (motto: Cloning Your Teammates Simply Isn’t On), in an attempt to draw attention to what is becoming a widespread problem in international cricket.
Oh dear. Have the picture police been onto you? That’s the problem if you publish a blog people actually read.
Pleased Sarah, Canterbury is helping out.
I’m nothing if not accommodating, D Charlton!
That’s one hell of a commitment, Sarah, to go back in time and recreate all the photos that KC has spent the last few years stealing. Do you need to borrow a DeLorean?
In other news, though, I just watched the highlights of today at the test. That was a special bit of bowling from Monty. I don’t actually remember his first test in too much detail, but if today was nothing but a copy of it, it must have been the best debut ever.
Am v pleased Sarah, Canterbury, is making an honest man of you at last O king.
Saw Monty playing in Mohali few years back against India and frankly there were cricketers in the PCA club who bowled better than him but never got to play even 1st class cricket. I would love to bat against Monty myself though I never played any form of professional cricket.. He has had 1 decent test match, typically English to start playing him up again.. Any spinner playing for England becomes a world beater if he picks up a couple of wickets… Give him time, 126 wickets at 35 with a strike rate over 70 isn’t that great…
And you are?
I am the guy who tells you that English spinners are crap & you shouldn’t start “BEST SPINNER IN THE WORLD” chant again for while….
Harbhajan Sing : 98 Tests, 406 wickets , strike rate 68.1 and average of 32.22 .
Most of them have been picked up in very friendly home conditions on rank turners. I wonder if you Sandeep saw any crickets in the PCA club who bowled better than him.
Monty is a good bowler. More than that, he is a lovely chap. He doesn’t go around slapping people trying to shake his hand.
I am the guy who tells you that English spinners are crap & you shouldn’t start “BEST SPINNER IN THE WORLD” chant again for a while….
Crap, my reply appears in 2 different places, one with an a, one without an a… All that I wanted to say was that “JOHN YOUR SPINNERS SUCK”, its Broad who gave you the edge in this match… WHO IS NOT A SPINNER MR. JOHN (IRE DIRECTED MORE TOWARDS KC SERVER THAN JOHN)
What part of the article “played up” Monty? The point KC was trying to make is that sticking to what one knows best is not a bad idea and that Warne’s criticism of Panesar is unwarranted. He does this by pointing out that certain other bowlers like McGrath have had a unidimensional mode of operation that served them well. Tut, tut, Sandeep, this is no reason to get your panesars in a bunch.
McGrath was a 1 trick pony in your opinion?? Tut tut… Well, getting Englishmen out was just one of his tricks… Pity you didn’t see him bowl elsewhere..
Of course he was one-dimensional. He stuck to a specific length and frustrated the hell out of batsmen. But that’s not the point. You seem to be discovering things to disagree with. Let me ask again: what part of the article played up Monty? Who chanted anything about best spinners?
I thought for a minute I was on a cricinfo comments page (just with more jejeune graphics and better photography)
Bah, I was gonna make a remark about this being cricinfo, what the hideous, racially-tinged insults in the comments.
Cheeky little 6-62 for Monty in the second innings. World domination is just around the corner.
England are a disgrace.
Yes, yes they were. Like the 90s all over again. Anyone would think we were Zimbabwe or India at present.
Doesn’t anyone just think that Pakistan would have bowled any of the Test teams out for about 70 today? Or am I just being blinded to the fact that England are utterly clueless against good spinners and most other sides would have romped to the target?
Not one straight drive on the ground or over the top that I can remember. At least they could have tried one even if they ballsed it up. It would have made a refreshing change to being plumb in front wafting optimistically on the back foot.
I think I’m contradicting myself now…
On the plus side, I have learnt the word “jejeune” today. I hope my post counts as jejeune. If not, I’ll try another one with more swearing.
PS – Sandeep is a one trick bellend.
isn’t it jejune?
Dear King
Belated thanks for standing up to Shane Warne.
After retiring from umpiring Ashes test matches (see 2009/100) he appointed himself a selector of the England and Wales cricket team, dropping Bopara and Monty while our media and blog commenters gratefully lapped up and repeated his sound bytes.
I would extend your McGrath analogy to Hayden – who appeared to play the same innings 200 times.