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Happy Birthday to forgotten hero of england-monty panesar


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Posted
Monty is a legend!! Happy Birthday to the clumsiest Sardar ever!
Moderators I want comments like these deleted, it would not be acceptable to see comments saying stuff about hindus and muslims.
Posted

Panesar defends England batsmen

A clutch of out-of-form England batsmen were doubtless still soul-searching on Monday, to work out a path to redemption and salvaged pride in this week's third Test. Yet none of Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan or even captain Andrew Strauss spoke publicly of their battle to come to terms with Pakistani spin in the desert. Instead, Monty Panesar was not only in the chair but chose to divert the blame for a second successive Test defeat in Abu Dhabi away from a misfiring England middle order - and on to himself. It seemed a harsh self-assessment after he had returned to international cricket for the first time in two-and-a-half years and bagged a second-innings haul of six for 62 at the Zayed Stadium, to hand his batting team-mates an apparently achievable winning target of 145. They then fluffed their lines on the way to 72 all out - number 11 Panesar was left on nought not out - yet England's slow left-armer was full of self-reproach for a first-innings performance which brought him just one wicket, for 91 runs, in 33 overs. Pakistan were still bowled out for 257, and England established a 70-run lead. Panesar, however, insists he could and should have done better. "I was pleased with my performance in the second innings. But maybe I let the team down in the first innings," he said. "I didn't take wickets at a quick enough rate, and Swanny (Graeme Swann) kind of carried me - helping me out - and made me feel part of the team. "It's nice to bowl with him and bowl in tandem." Did England's batsmen not then make a hash of their fourth-innings target, though? "Pakistan bowled well in that last innings - and in the first innings I took one wicket in 33 overs. I need to pick up wickets at a quicker rate. That's something I want to develop and improve," said Panesar. Surely, even against Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal on a turning pitch, England should have made a better fist of a modest target to level the series? "As batsmen, we did get tested - and we're determined to come back stronger in the third Test," said Panesar. "With conditions out here, the Pakistani bowlers maybe had more of the luck with the conditions - because they had a fourth-innings track with some cracks. "The guys have been tested, but we all really want to put on a good show and we hope we can bounce back and play with a lot of pride and produce a good result (in Dubai). "Pakistan have played good cricket out here. "But the (England) batters have done exceptionally well over the last 18 months. They've batted well against all types of bowlers. "They're determined, and I'm very much confident that as a team we will work really hard in the next few days to get the result that we want in the third Test." England must win here to be sure of retaining their hard-earned world number one status by the time the International Cricket Council annual cut-off date comes round at the start of April. Should they suffer a whitewash, and nearest pursuers South Africa chalk up the same scoreline in reverse against New Zealand in their forthcoming series, England's inaugural occupation of that cherished top spot will have been shortlived indeed. Panesar, however, believes they will not let that happen. "The boys are still upbeat and looking forward to the third Test," he said. "They want to prove we can do well here against Pakistan - we're determined to put on a good show in the third Test. "We're trying to put everything behind us and trying to look forward to the third Test." His was a surprise, but entirely vindicated, inclusion in the second Test - which saw spin from early on day one and made it essential that England had a second slow bowler to accompany Swann. It seems highly likely that will be the case again at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, from Friday onwards. If so, Panesar will be chomping at the bit to prove to himself and others that he really can do even better than he did in Abu Dhabi, and repay the faith England have shown in him. "Playing in the subcontinent is different from English conditions, and we all want to grow and learn and become better at coping," he said. "I enjoy the challenge of bowling with the new ball early on, and Straussy gave me that confidence in terms of bringing me on early."
Posted
Thank God at least one sardar is playing Test Cricket. Birthday wishes to Monty.
Forgotten - Yes Hero - Not yet Happy Budday Monty. Hope you knock off Swann from his place and captain England soon. :cheer:
happy birthday to no1 sarder spinner :cheer:
:hysterical: :giggle: :hysterical: :giggle: :hysterical:

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