Monty Panesar: BBC Sports Personality 2006?

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By Will 2 years ago, mid-August Leave a comment on this post

After his performance in the third Test yesterday, Monty’s odds have been slashed.

Monty Panesar has been slashed from 5/1 to 7/2 favourite with William Hill to win the BBC TV Sports Personality of the Year Award comic/swimmer David Walliams after his latest three wicket haul as England dismissed Pakistan to win the Test Match. Hills also make comic/swimmer David Walliams 7/2 joint favourite and then offer Steven Gerrard at 9/2 third favourite for the Award, and also offer 8/1 Jenson Button; 10/1 Ricky Hatton; 12/1 Joe Calzaghe; Dean Macey; 16/1 Andy Murray; 20/1 Kevin Pietersen; Colin Montgomerie.

Andrew Flintoff, of course, won it last year. But never before have two cricketers won the award in successive years…

Tags: andrew-flintoff, bbc-sports-personality, david-walliams, monty-panesar |

Comments to “Monty Panesar: BBC Sports Personality 2006?” Kathy wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 10.05 am

Is there no-one else, besides me and Duncan Fletcher, who is finding this Monty mania a little excessive? I think he’s a great new find for England and improving all the time, but I think the worship is getting a little over the top… too much, too soon.

Harrowdrive wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 10.49 am

He certainly is a personality, and he is showing what a good bowler he is. I’ll not give him the award until he takes a hatful of important wickets in Oz though.

Adrian wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 11.05 am

We all like to see people with personality AND talent, but I agree we shouldn’t get carried away with what he has done so far. He is still young and relatively inexperienced and doesn’t need the burden of the ‘Monty-Mania’. Flintoff can resume the role of England hero when he returns from injury and that should give Monty a break.

Still it was an absolute jaffer that got rid of Younis Khan.

Harry R wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 11.51 am

The series against Pakistan will seem a long time ago by the time people are voting for SPotY. If he rips through the Aussie batting in the first few tests he might have a chance.

Alan R wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 12.07 pm

I think mania is kind of excessive by definition. If Monty tries to out-drink Freddie or out-horny Shane Warne, then we’ll know it’s a serious problem.

Monty gets my vote. He’s practically an archetype. He’s the ugly duckling who became a swan. David defeats Goliath (Sachin, Inzy, etc.) and works his way to become the new king (of Spain?).

Reverse Swing wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 12.47 pm

Of course, Monty could make the whole vote a total shoo-in by taking ten wickets in the Brisbane Test, which preceeds the close of voting!

Bowman wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 1.13 pm

I can’t help thinking that if Monty wins it it will be more down to his turban than his acctualy skills on a cricket field.

I love Monty to bits, but if giles had done exactly the same thing as Monty has this summer, he would be no where near in contention to win sports personality of the year.

Sean wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 6.35 pm

That’s the whole point. Love the KoS as I do, he wouldn’t have done the same thing. I think we have some thing very special here and Monty’s unassuming personality adds to the mix in an extremely positive way.

Maybe we are getting a bit Monty manic but that’s probably because it is at least 30 years since we’ve unearthed a bowler of his quality (I’m thinking Edmonds but even that’s stretching it - more like Underwood but he bowls on all wickets).

Sean wrote:
August 9th, 2006 at 6.36 pm

Forgot to say I completely agree with Alan R (as usual) and am chuckling at anyone trying to out horny Warne.

Kathy wrote:
August 10th, 2006 at 2.39 am

I think, in the whole Monty/Giles debate, it’s unfortunate they’re in a field where you usually only pick one. The comparison between them seems unfair as they’re quite different. It’s like being asked to choose between Hoggard and Flintoff. You’d want both of them of course, but if you could only choose one, you’d choose Flintoff, a much flashier, bigger, faster bowler. Yet it’s Hoggard who is way up there about no 5 on the Test bowlers rankings (if he hasn’t slipped again on his very latest poor form). Sweeping the shop floor is not to be underrated. And was it not you, Will, who was arguing here a few months ago, that Hoggard is a strike bowler.

I’m just thinking of Giles at Edgbaston last year, pilloried, put down, sneered at, for a week in the press, and he comes out and knocks over Ponting, Clarke and Warne in Australia’s first innings then gets Katich and Gilchrist in the second. That’s character. And that’s a strike bowler.

And that’s without getting into the run-outs and catches he was responsible for, and vital match-winning batting at the end at Trent Bridge and the Oval.

None of this to put down Monty â€” just to say that the battle for selection isn’t as one-sided as some people make it.

Jim wrote:
August 10th, 2006 at 6.14 am

If they don’t give it to Monty it’ll go to some showjumper or a Super Bike rider. There’s always someone totally random in a BBC covered sport there or thereabouts. Walliams can’t be eligible, surely.

There’s a Ryder Cup to come yet, so don’t rule out a late run from Montgomerie. But anyway, Monty represents cricket, and for the good of our game we should all vote for him. It all helps…get more kids out in the playground looking for a bat or ball, get the game off Sky and back on the BBC etc.

I think those odds are looking realistic. They gave it to David Steele - ‘the bank clerk who went to war’- in the 70s, for taking on Lillee and Thomson. It’s fair to say Monty has reached that level of stardom.

Kathy wrote:
August 10th, 2006 at 11.56 am

Interestingly, Paul Collingwood, in his regular column on the BBC website, says some very flattering things about Monty, but also makes the following two comments:

“He has still got a long way to go to be classed as the number one spinner in England but he’s definitely going down the right track and impressing everybody along the way.”

and

“He’s only young and we can’t get too carried away but he has done nothing wrong so far.”

Little bits of cold water being splashed on the hype, I feel. I wonder if that’s a general team view that it is safe for someone like Collingwood to express, ie he’s got wonderful promise, but don’t get too over-excited.

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