'Fool' Monty wrecks plan to spin out the Aussies

Jonathan Agnew
17 Dec 2008

When Monty Panesar arrived on the Test scene three years ago and claimed the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar as his first wicket, the whole of England rejoiced. Not only did we now have a young spinner with obvious talent and a long future, but also a character who would attract the Asian community to engage with English cricket.

Unfortunately, Panesar's failure to capture a single wicket in India's second innings in Chennai on Monday confirmed what many of us already knew: namely that Panesar has barely improved at all since his first match, and does not appear likely to either.

It is not simply his inability to adapt to different conditions, and to vary his flight and trajectory — he was shown up in Sri Lanka last year as well, don't forget — but the most alarming and surprising aspect to Panesar's cricket is his inability to think about the game.

When he first comes on to bowl, Panesar allows the captain to set the field for him. There is very rarely any input from the bowler, who merely stands and waits. Any club cricketer will tell you this is highly unusual.

Even more remarkable is the fact — confirmed by the umpires in the Chennai Test — that Panesar rarely, if ever, makes even a minor adjustment to the field, or asks for a field change during the course of his spell. He just bowls, like an automaton, ball after ball until he is taken off.

It might seem unfair to point the finger at Panesar for England's defeat in the First Test and there is an argument for saying that they lost some of their momentum while batting too slowly on the fourth afternoon. But not only was this the third time England have failed to dismiss opponents on the final day this year when they had more than enough time to do so, but the conditions at Chennai suited the spinners to such an extent that Tendulkar nominated his 41st Test century as one of his best.

It was a shame that Panesar's proposed trip to Sri Lanka before this tour failed to materialise. It was not his fault — the club team he was due to play for suddenly and absurdly demanded a substantial payment, which was declined by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Like Andrew Strauss, he had not played a Test since August and might have been feeling his way back. But that does not alter his apparent inability to think for himself.

The impact of England's failure to bowl India out on Monday will reach beyond the Second Test in Mohali, for I have been told that plans to attack the Australians with spin next summer have now been scrapped.

Australia's bowling attack has been seriously weakened since the retirement of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, but while Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson still represent a decent seam attack, nobody has yet really stepped forward as a viable spin option.

The hope had been that this could have been exploited by England with a discreet request to the groundsmen at the Test venues to produce pitches which would assist the spinners. It has now been accepted that this is unlikely to work and that England's best hope of success lies with their fast bowlers.

There might have been less of an inquest into England's defeat had they been thumped in four days. The lack of preparation caused by the terror attacks in Mumbai is still a valid reason for a poor performance but, in fact, England played some excellent cricket to set up their victory opportunity.

It was the Indians who were the less focused on the first two days — again, something confirmed by the umpires — as the home team struggled mentally so soon after the appalling scenes in the home town of a number of their players, including Tendulkar. Only when an air of distraction appeared to contribute to their being bowled out for 241 in their first innings did they roll up their sleeves and enter the contest, and the match could not have had a more fitting end than Tendulkar, a Mumbaiker, hitting the winning runs.

That famous victory underlined India's utter domination of this tour so far. The hidings they meted out in the one day series were almost forgotten as the players decided whether or not to return — but they will be remembered by those who watched them.

Despite England's frailties, India have reminded us that they are a team on the verge of greatness, and Monday's victory will only have strengthened their ambition.