ENG vs AUS | Felt very calm and relaxed during 2009 drawn Ashes Test, reveals Monty Panesar
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England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar says he felt very calm and relaxed, and wasn't feeling the pressure during the 2009 Ashes Test in his series ‘Being Monty’. Panesar became a cult cricketing figure in England cricket as he bagged 167 wickets in 50 Tests for England between 2006 and 2013.
For all of his exploits with the ball, few England fans will forget his heroic last-wicket stand with James Anderson which helped to save the first Ashes Test of 2009 - a summer in which England would win the urn 2-1. Last-man Panesar came to the wicket with England 233-9, still, six runs behind Australia, needing to negotiate 11.3 overs with Anderson. Some 69 deliveries and 19 runs later, the England duo were national heroes after securing a priceless draw. In his latest series ‘Being Monty,’ the spinner said he felt very calm and relaxed and wasn't feeling the pressure during the Test.
"I felt very calm, very relaxed; I wasn't feeling the pressure of it at the time. We just had a very simple method in our mind, we would just take each ball as it comes. I remember saying 'we've got this, this is a draw'. We were just in disbelief when we got back. It was just like you could hear a pin drop. We obviously hugged everyone but it was just a shock it was like, has that really happened?" said Panesar, reported Sky Sports.
ex-England captain Nasser Hussain said about Monty Panesar that when it was his day, there was no better bowler. 'Being Monty' including Panesar's reflections on, How swapping from fast bowling to spin saw him climb quickly through the ranks earning him a place on England's tour of India in 2006.
His rapid Test rise after claiming his first wicket that of Sachin Tendulkar and how he quickly became a cult figure. How he was desperate to improve his batting and fielding but eventually was dropped by Duncan Fletcher at the start of the 2006/07 Ashes Tour.
