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By Will 4 years ago, at the end of July Add your comment below
Today was memorable. England won, yes, and Steve Harmison took 11 of the 19 wickets to fall (there was a run-out in Pakistan’s first innings) – but the most notable aspect of the win was Monty Panesar’s performance. He bowled quite superbly – the best by an England spinner that I have seen (which isn’t saying much, frankly).
Ashley Giles, I’m afraid your time is up. Even if fit, I simply cannot see England dropping Panesar. He is a metronome, like all good spinners, landing it on a sixpence whenever he so chooses. Some of his deliveries (I lost count, but in the region of eight or nine) turned ala a wrist spinner and ala Shane Warne. Monty is a left-arm finger spinner for crying out loud. What is he doing spinning it a foot? Not even Danish Kaneria, the second best legspinner in world cricket, could turn it that much.
Time to have a beer to celebrate England’s win. I’ll post more thoughts tomorrow and, in the meantime, offer your own below.
Tags: england, monty-panesar, old-trafford, pakistan, pakistan-in-england, steve-harmison |
Wasn’t it lovely? Blimey, it realy isn’t often that England apply a spell of bowling like that. Innings and names that you know will stick in the memory for a long, long time. I’m well pleased for Harmy, but somehow doubly pleased for Monty.
Make mine a cider, please. Cheers.
I disagree – keep Monty in the team, and drop Mahmood for Gilo. Mahmood hasn’t really made that much of an impact with his bowling, and Gilo is a significantly better batsman and fielder than either. That way we have a decent batting number 8 who can also hold up an end bowling, and a genuine wicket-taking spinner.
Mind you, I am Ashley Giles’ Biggest Fan, so I may be biased…
Fair point, but…
a) when oh when will we need two spinners in the same side?
b) is Giles really more likely than Mahmood to take any wickets? Actually he probably is, yes, ok.
c) Monty is a wicket-taker. Giles isn’t. End of. Yes Giles can catch and bat, but who will win you more matches?
Monty!
(a) is a fair point. However, I think a team with Monty and Gilo in it is better than a team with Monty and Mahmood in it. I’m all for keeping Monty in the team – I think he’s great. If the best team we can put out happens to have two spinners in it, why not?
Because Duncan Fletcher will never go for two spinners when we are not playing on the sub-continent, except maybe at the SCG. I do think, however, that Monty being a wicket taking spinner who is also economical means you can get away with playing only four bowlers), means that you could substitute Flintoff for Mahmood, and use Collingwood, Bell and Pietersen as partnership breakers or to give your four main bowlers a break. It would also mean that Flintoff would extend the batting and GO Jones might not be under as much pressure for runs as he is at the moment
I wouldn’t be writing off Giles yet either. Fortunes come and go. How recently was Monty being mocked from here to Christmas? One day you’re the hero, next the zero. Great win for England, but people seem to overreact to whatever the result is.
One thing I will say — Geraint Jones did a great job behind the stumps, bust finger and all.
Monty was great, though I think Harmison deserved Man of the Match for scaring the Pakistanis (and taking 11 wickets). The intimidation factor at the other end probably helped Monty quite a bit, though he still had to put the ball in the right place and get it to turn.
What’s this about substituting Flintoff for Mahmoud? Who wouldn’t do that if they could? Even Mahmoud’s mom would pick Flintoff ahead of her son if asked to select an XI. 
This win has turned things around. I was worried that when I go to see the first ODI I’d see England get thrashed. Now I’m looking forward to seeing Monty and Harmy try to outduel Kaneria and Shoaib Akhtar.
“Danish Kaneria, the second best legspinner in world cricket” ???
Will, you do watch cricket, don’t you? Ever heard of one Anil Kumble?
Or are you of the breed who believes there could be only one kind of leg-spinner, the one that spins the ball a metric mile?
Calm down Pinstripe you fool. I merely forgot about Kumble. If you even read half of what I write here, you would know I’m a huge fan of Kumble.
Jeez.
As much as I like Monty, I think putting him in the ODI team might be going a bit far, at least until he develops his fielding and batting. As Will notes above Giles can catch and bat, and in ODI’s catches, fielding and lower order runs (or at least stickability) do win matches. If fit Giles has a big role to play in the World Cup, where defensive bowling by spinners taking the pace off the ball might be the key to keeping runs down
Shades of Mark Waugh here but I don’t think Kaneria is the best leg spinner in his country. How Mushy hasn’t played here yet is beyond me.
I forgot about Kumble too – I was thinking MacGill, but you’re right pinstripe.
On the radio yesterday Rameez Raja was comparing Monty with Vettori, purely as a SLA bowler and comparing him very favourably indeed.
It’s a reasonable comparison but not that fair. Monty is more aggressive and turns it much more too. He has the potential to be a really fine bowler, and I find it all bloody exciting.
Also, someone remind me how many runs Monty conceded in the field and how many catches he dropped at Old Trafford?
More generally, I agree with Richard – we hold the Ashes and Flintoff at #7 and G O Jones at #8 (and surely Harmison must bat ahead of Hoggard, unless Hoggy is a nightwatchman, which he’s real good at) is not a batting order the Australians would want to see. In KP, Colly and Bell we have three batsmen who are perfectly capable of doing the “fill in” bowling job, and ought to be told so.
The only counter-argument is if the medics (and indeed the man himself) decide that Freddie’s future is as a batsman who can bowl (like Ted Dexter in an earlier generation)…
As to when might you require two spinners in the one team, Sydney springs to mind….
2nd best Leggie in the world would be Stuie Magill right…
Everyone is always saying he would get in any team in the world that Shane Warne isnt in! 
And yes mabey bring Gilo to Australia as an SCG specialist! 
It’s a tough call but I suspect that after yesterday even Duncan Fletcher is starting to realise how good Monty is (and could become). That said, I’ve got a feeling that they’ll take Giles to Oz if fit (as well as Monty, obviously) and then it’ll be all to play for. My bet would be on Monty retaining the number one slot with the possible addition of Giles at Sydney and perhaps Adelaide.
Much of course, will depend on how the Ashes series goes, not to mention this one – what happens if Monty gets carted all round Headingley and The Oval? Unlikely, but people have short memories. Two weeks ago all was doom and gloom – now we’re going to retain The Ashes with two bowlers!
Brian C, I agree. People’s memories are amazingly short. Every two weeks history gets rewritten. God knows how things will pan out over the next four months.
Right on Richard and Kathy!WHY don’t we think the unthinkable and have:Tres,Stauss[c],Cook,Pieterson,GoJo[w]‘,Bell,Flintoff,Giles,Harmison,Hoggy and Monty.Standbys are up to you.Injuries are up to providence.
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