Monty got a raw deal

In the days and weeks to come, when England's abysmal performance in Sri Lanka is analysed down to the bare bones, one of the likely scapegoats will be Monty Panesar, whose eight wickets cost him more than 50 apiece. Not even Monty's biggest fan could argue that he bowled well, but he was by no means the worst of an insipid bunch. And he certainly isn't the first fine spinner to struggle on Sri Lankan pitches. Logic though usually goes for a flighted toss once the bloodletting begins, and when the knives come out for Monty, people would do well to remember the words made famous by Michael Stipe and REM: "Nonsense has a welcome ring, and heroes don't come easy."

Muttiah Muralitharan is king on his home turf, but even he hasn't had it all his own way in this series. He's managed 16 wickets, but it's taken him 10 balls more on average for each. The slow and low pitches haven't helped. As Anil Kumble's fond of saying, it's a big myth that they're ideal for spinners, many of whom appreciate good bounce as much as any fast bowler.

Monty's travails aren't surprising either, when you consider that Kumble averages 42 in Sri Lanka, and that Stuart MacGill managed just five wickets in two Tests in 2004. The magnificent exception is Shane Warne, who took 48 wickets at 21 from his nine matches there, one of them a "neutral" Test against Pakistan at the P Sara in Colombo.

Warne had his best series in 2004, taking 26 wickets, but he was superbly supported by Michael Kasprowicz (12 wickets) and Jason Gillespie (10), who bowled with a spirit and understanding of the conditions that has been conspicuously absent in England's pace attack. Kumar Sangakkara told me last year: "They used cutters a lot, and kept mixing it up without being too adventurous. They waited for us to make mistakes by bowling such tight lines."

Kasprowicz and Gillespie were outstanding in India as well, and their skill and discipline had much to do with Warne's success. By contrast, England's bowling, especially in Galle, was woeful, an object lesson in how not to bowl on such pitches. Monty's plight was also exacerbated by a confused approach. He didn't seem to be sure whether to trust in flight, or just spear it in. Sri Lankan batsmen play spin as well as anyone, and the flighted delivery is usually smacked away. The flatter trajectory enjoyed little success either though, with Mahela Jayawardene content to block for much of the second day in Galle.

A better arm ball will certainly make Monty a more potent performer, but a lot of us would do well to remember that it's only been just over 18 months since he captivated on debut with that ball to Sachin Tendulkar. It took Kumble nearly a decade to get the googly going properly, and he and many others will tell you that spin bowling is a craft that can take a while to master. Monty isn't there yet, and if the blame for a dismal capitulation falls on one so inexperienced, then English cricket really does have problems.

Comments

[avinash subramaniam]

i think yuvi should open in the boxing day test match. we need to be fair to dravid. and we need to be fair to yuvi. that said, yuvi needs to work a bit harder to prove himself. he's not good enough to displace dravid. in fact, far from it. on the other hand, do you think opening with yuvi might be an attacking risk worth taking?