| Player: | SCG MacGill, MS Panesar |
| Event: | England in Australia 2006/07 |
Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has urged England's Monty Panesar to remain his own man if selected for Friday's second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
Panesar, the first Sikh to play Test cricket for England, has taken 32 wickets in 10 Tests, making the most of the absence through injury of fellow left-arm spinner Ashley Giles. But one of the problems facing Panesar, according to MacGill, is that the England set-up has been successful using Giles in a defensive support role. Giles was selected ahead of Panesar for the first Test in Brisbane, which Ashes holders England lost by 277 runs, but coach Duncan Fletcher has indicated he wants to use both spinners in Adelaide. "Unfortunately for Monty, his value is based solely on comparisons with Giles. He must realize that he will do himself and consequently his team a great disservice by trying to fill someone else's shoes. They never fit," MacGill wrote in The Australian newspaper Thursday. MacGill, who has taken 198 Test wickets, said Panesar would have an uphill battle if he was expected to fill a defensive role because he had achieved his success by using a more "Australian", or attacking, approach. "Trailing 1-0, it is vital that England embraces players who base their game around wicket-taking, and I am concerned that in his present spin bowling environment, Monty may slip into a more defensive style," MacGill said. "Giles shares the load in the England squad, whether it's offering a shoulder to someone in need off the field or bowling on it. In the past, I have watched him bowl as England's main spin bowler on last-day wickets and he does not seem to have the tools to create a win in difficult situations. He doesn't have the skills because he hasn't developed them. Bowling in this role is alien to him. His major weakness is that he can be a bit one-dimensional." MacGill said he sat next to Panesar at a benefit dinner in Adelaide recently and found him to be obsessed with cricket. "He wants to be the best, which is very important. He's got that competitive edge," MacGill said. "If he has a weakness at this stage it may be that as a young player he feels a little nervous about committing to his personal game plan and he may not be able to develop his bowling in the best way for him. I hope he plays and I hope we see an attacking spinner in action. Monty has an amazing opportunity to dominate England's spin-bowling landscape for years to come."