He’s still got it.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar has rekindled his love affair with Sydney grade cricket, taking five wickets in a victory for Campbelltown Camden District Cricket Club on Saturday.
Representing the club’s fourth-grade team, the 43-year-old claimed 5-30 from ten overs as the hosts cruised towards a thumping 135-run victory over Hawkesbury in Western Sydney.
Panesar, who claimed 167 wickets at 34.71 across 50 Tests for England, previously represented the club in 2016/17, also playing for Randwick-Petersham in 2011/12 and Western Suburbs in 2013/14.
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Former England spin bowler Monty Panesar in Sydney. Pic by James CroucherSource: News Corp Australia
Last week, Panesar become embroiled in a war of words with Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith ahead of the first Ashes Test in Perth. During the pre-match press conference, Smith was asked about Panesar’s claim the England team and the British tabloids should target the New South Welshman over his involvement in the 2018 Cape Town sandpaper scandal.
In response, Smith referenced Panesar’s embarrassing appearance on UK quiz show Mastermind in 2019.
“Anyone that believes that Athens is in Germany, Oliver Twist is a season of the year and America is a city, doesn’t really bother me those comments,” Smith declared.
The following day, Panesar penned a scathing response in The Telegraph.
“It’s bad knowledge, but at least it isn’t ball-tampering,” he wrote.
“I would actually ask Steve whether he can look himself in the mirror yet and admit that he was part of ‘sandpapergate’, the worst example of Australian cheating in history.
“To think that he wanted to talk about me before one of the biggest days of his career – when he will lead Australia out against England as he stands in for absent captain Pat Cummins – is flattering, and nothing short of hilarious.
“If I’m guilty of anything, it is having bad general knowledge. And that is better than being a cheat.”
Ahead of Saturday’s clash, Hawkesbury Cricket Club poked fun at the incident on social media, posting to Facebook: “Great to have Monty Panesar playing against the Hawks today in 4th Grade, Let’s see if he finds Raby Oval as his geographical skills aren’t his strengths as Steve Smith has pointed out recently!”