Monty Panesar, full name Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, is an English cricket legend who has played for Northamptonshire, Sussex, Essex, as well as the Lions in South Africa. He is a slow left-arm orthodox spinner who built a reputation as a fan favourite over the course of his career in cricket. He enjoyed a distinguished international career where he established himself as an excellent spin bowler, both as the first choice and in partnership with fellow spinner, Graeme Swann.

The King of Spin

Monty is widely credited with revitalising spin bowling in English cricket. As an English spinner, his style contrasted deeply with the more negative and limited approach taken by those before him. His endearing and exciting bowling performances quickly propelled him into becoming England's first-choice spinner.

Monty Panesar: Early Life

Monty Panesar was born Mudhsuden Singh Panesar on April 25th 1982 in Luton, Bedfordshire. His parents, Paramjit Singh and Gursharan Kaur, migrated from Punjab, India to Luton, England in 1979. He has two sisters, Esha Kaur Panesar and Charanjit Kaur Panesar. Monty went to school at St. Matthew's Infant and Junior Schools and Stopsley High School. He also gained a computer science degree from Loughborough University, before embarking on his cricketing career.

Early Cricket Career

Monty Panesar's rise to prominence had humble beginnings in English county cricket. He played for Northamptonshire's youth teams and gained widespread recognition for his performances. In the year 2000, he made his first-class debut against Leicestershire where he picked up 8 wickets for 131 runs.

Monty Panesar's Test Debut and First Test Wicket

Monty Panesar made his test debut for England in March 2006 against India. His first test wicket came against Sachin Tendulkar, a highly respected Indian batsman. He later was quoted as saying “If at the time I knew it was Tendulkar, maybe I wouldn’t have appealed.”

Monty Panesar's First Five-Wicket Haul and Rise to Prominence

Monty managed his first five-wicket haul in his sixth test against Sri Lanka in a 5/78 performance. He later went on to have a fantastic home summer against Pakistan where he amassed 17 wickets from only 4 test matches.

In the winter of 2006, England toured Australia. It was considered a formality that Panesar would make the playing XI, but he was overlooked in favour of Ashley Giles. Subsequently, England lost the first two test matches and so Panesar finally made his Ashes debut in the third test. He picked up a five-wicket haul and ended the series with 10 wickets overall, despite England's failure.

Panesar continued his excellent performances into the 2007 home season against the West Indies, picking up 23 wickets in four test matches. However, he could not replicate his form against India where England succumbed to a 1-0 series defeat.

Why was Monty Panesar Dropped?

While Monty Panesar was always capable of moments of brilliance that long endeared him to cricket fans, his consistency and form began to falter. Combined with the rise of Graeme Swann as England's new first-choice spinner, Monty was dropped from the England squad and lost his central contract. He was forced to move from his life long county Northamptonshire, to Sussex, in a bid to revive his cricket fortunes.

Monty's Career Revival

Despite the setbacks, Monty's improved form playing for Sussex earned him a recall to England's squad for the ashes in 2010. He also went on to play in the second test against Pakistan in UAE in 2012, making it his first test appearance in over two and a half years. He joined forces with Graeme Swann to create a much-feared spin pairing for England, carrying the nickname the 'Dust Devils'.

Despite a series loss, Panesar achieved 14 wickets from two test matches. His renewed confidence was on full display in England's four tests series later that year against India. Teaming up with Graeme Swann again and playing as the second spinner, England recorded a historic 2-1 series win as Panesar took 11/210 in the Mumbai Test.

What is Monty Panesar Doing Now?

The much-loved English cricket legend is currently studying an International Sports Journalism MA at St. Mary's University. While doing so, he has also joined Twickenham CC. Monty appears to be enjoying his time at University and the club and is quoted as saying “I’m loving it here!” to a local reporter on the subject. Panesar also released his autobiography in 2019 titled Monty Panesar: The Full Monty. He is hoping to make inroads into sports journalism and currently has a podcast called Monty Meets in development.… show more