Latest from around the grounds on opening weekendSaturday roundup: Kent and Northants suffer collapsesEmail Tanya or get in touch below the line 10.26am BST Update from Headingley: further pitch inspection at 1.40. And words from the Yorkshire chief ex…
• Hampshire batsman hits rapid 75 before missing straight ball• Four games are washed out without a ball being bowledIt is not supposed to start with a whimper. Six Championship games: four called off without a ball bowled, at Headingley, Old Trafford,…
Live updates from the series-deciding ODIEmail Tanya here or tweet her here with your thoughtsFourth ODI report: Taylor heroics square series 9.38pm GMT It looks a beautiful day in Christchurch. England win the toss and will bowl. Kane Williamson says …
It is a forlorn tale of someone who loved cricket almost too much but Panesar still dreams of returning to the top and making up for lost time
Nine years ago a young cricketer made his Test debut against India at Nagpur. With his verdant facial feathering, matching black patka and comprehensive range of eye-popping expressions, Monty Panesar was England’s mid-noughties breath of fresh air. A left-arm spinner with remarkable spaghetti-span hands and long clickety-clack fingers, on the right day he could turn the ball inside out and make it kick and bounce.
Added to that he had an extraordinarily flexible wrist, able to twist full circle, and a bouncing run-up, left arm releasing the ball high above his head while his right arm floated up to his ears afterwards to add a regal flick of who-knows-what. He seemed England’s long-term spin answer – and for three years, maybe more, he was.
