Panesar eager to work with Warne by Cricket Archive Staff Reporter

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Player:

MS Panesar, SK Warne, DAG Fletcher

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DateLine: 10th January 2007

 

Monty Panesar has said it would be beyond his "wildest dreams" to work with Australia great Shane Warne. Left-arm spinner Panesar, one of the few England players to emerge with some credit following the side's recent 5-0 Ashes series whitewash, spoke to Warne during last week's fifth Test in Sydney and would relish the chance to be coached by the leg-spin legend. "There have been rumours going round about England wanting to offer Shane Warne a coaching job and as a young spinner, I have to say that it would be beyond my wildest dreams to work with him," Panesar said."He could be an incredible inspiration to me because he has so much knowledge and experience," the 24-year-old Northamptonshire bowler added. "I had a long chat with Warney at the end of the last Test. It was overwhelming for me - just a young spinner - to be able to listen to him talking about the game," Panesar, controversially left out of England's team for the first two Ashes Tests, explained. "He was very nice to me about it - talking a lot about technical things like the pace to bowl at, angles, stuff like that. He told me that he thought I was a good bowler, but that I had to keep improving my game," said Panesar, who in his three Tests against Australia took 10 wickets at a shade under 38. Warne, who will continue to play cricket for English county Hampshire after retiring from Tests at Sydney, said Monday he would not be averse to helping England recover from their Ashes thrashing, after coach Duncan Fletcher said he would like to enlist his skills. But Warne, who admitted it was "strange" to refer to himself as "Shane Warne, the former Test cricketer", said he had received no specific request from Fletcher or the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Warne, who bowed out having taken a world record 708 Test wickets- 195 of them against England - said he retained a great affection for England, having helped a number of bowlers informally during his time with Hampshire. In a reference to his conversation with Panesar, Warne added: "Of course, there is a big difference between an informal chat, where you wouldn't dream of asking for a cent, and actually being employed," he wrote. "I am not sure what Duncan has in mind, whether it is for me to go around the counties or for bowlers to come to see me at Hampshire. As a general comment, if I could help the cause of spin bowling, if I have the time and if it fits in with my family, then I would give it a lot of thought. Whatever I do, I want to do it properly." Fletcher, who is under fire in the aftermath of England's Ashes performance, raised the prospect of Warne crossing cricket's great divide on Friday. "I'd be happy with him to speak to anyone, there's no doubt about it," he told reporters in Sydney.