Monty Panesar puts good spin on potential of partnering Graeme Swann | Sport

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Monty Panesar puts good spin on potential of partnering Graeme Swann

• Bowler believes he can combine with rival England spinner
• Panesar defends batsmen after collapse against Pakistan

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• Vic Marks in Dubai
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 January 2012 22.00 GMT
• Article history


Monty Panesar faces the media ahead of England's third Test against Pakistan in Dubai. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Dear old Monty obviously got the short straw. They needed someone to deliver a long spell in torrid conditions, the equivalent of bowling tirelessly into a strong, unhelpful wind. Monty was volunteered and as ever he did his best.

In the wake of a calamitous England batting collapse, which meant that Pakistan go into the final Test in Dubai in danger of suffering from DRS (no, nothing to do with umpiring this time, but Dead Rubber Syndrome), Monty Panesar was the player put forward by the management – as they are obliged to do – to chew the fat over England's predicament.

Their predicament is that they cannot score any runs, which is not really Monty's area of expertise. But he did a noble, selfless job to defend his colleagues even if some of his responses prompted some head scratching. At one point he said, "Our batters are in a good place".

Which takes some believing. Moreover, in his refusal to lay any blame on the batsmen above him in the order, Panesar was incredibly self-deprecating. "My failure to take wickets at a quicker rate in the first innings possibly cost us the match," he said. "In that innings [Graeme] Swann carried me. I need to learn how to take wickets quicker." Well, which bowler doesn't?

This was obfuscation on the scale of Ted Dexter in India in 1993. As chairman of selectors he blamed England's lamentable performance on that tour (they lost 3-0) to the players' stubble, the smog and the unfavourable alignment of the stars in a masterly attempt to deflect attention from the real reasons. Panesar must have been trying to do the same on Monday.

England lost the Abu Dhabi Test because their batsmen were inept, not because of Panesar's efforts in the first innings, when he arguably performed better than Swann, even if the figures suggested otherwise. He was clearly determined to be generous to everyone in the England squad — except himself.

He was especially quick to praise Swann, once his county colleague at Northamptonshire (though they did not play in the same XI that often): "He was great for me [in Abu Dhabi], he made me feel part of the team".

Panesar stressed how much he enjoyed trying to plot Pakistani wickets alongside Swann and he said that he saw his old off-spinning pal as a partner, not a rival for a place in the team.

However, it has not been a very fruitful partnership so far. We are a long, long way from Laker/Lock territory; we are not even very close to the old union of Edmonds and Emburey.

Swann and Panesar are two fine spinners, but so far their record for England together is very modest. They have played together just five times: in Chennai, Mohali, Trinidad, Cardiff and now Abu Dhabi. England have lost the first and last of those games and drawn the other three. It may not be the fault of either spinner but they have yet to taste victory together.

Nor can we assume that they will become regular partners. They may well play together in Dubai this week, in two Tests in Sri Lanka in March and four in India next November/December. Everywhere else England will lean towards a three-seamer attack supported by one spinner. Panesar may crave to be that spinner or, in his ideal world, a partner for Swann, but this will not happen very often unless Tim Bresnan is magically ordained as a world-class all-rounder.

Panesar outbowled Swann in Abu Dhabi, where he demonstrated beyond doubt that he is ahead of any potential rivals, like the young Danny Briggs or the ancient Gary Keedy. But he remains the second spinner. Swann offers more runs, more catches at second slip and more cricketing nous – and he has had a superb two years. For the moment he is the undisputed No1 unless England keep coming across Test teams devoid of any left-handers. This was another reality that Panesar preferred not to address yesterday.

We cannot blame him too much for that. "I'm not thinking too far ahead," Panesar said. "I have had to wait for two and a half years for this game." The 29-year-old's performance in Abu Dhabi did him plenty of favours and it means that England's spin bowling is not the immediate issue.

The problem is finding an effective middle order in subcontinental conditions and, despite Monty's protestations, the England batsmen were only in a "good place" on Mondaybecause they were not plonked down in front of a load of old pressmen trying to fathom out why they cannot score any runs.