Panesar Courted for Book Deal
Everyone’s favorite (British) cricketer, Monty Panesar, appears likely to sign a book deal for his memoirs within the week. More than fifteen British publishers are clamoring for the rights to Panesar’s story, in the wake of great success of other cricketer’s autobiographies, such as Andrew “Freddy” Flintoff, whose book sold 250,000 copies in hardback alone, and the lackluster sales of footballer’s memoirs, such as Wayne Rooney, whose book sold, by comparison, 13,700 copies.
Panesar is expected to receive approximately £250,000 in exchange for his story. And no wonder: the story promises to be an interesting one. Born as Mudhusen Singh Panesar in Luton, Bedfordhire in 1982, he has acheived the distinction of being the first Sikh to play cricket for England, or, for that matter, any country other than India. His parents are from the Punjab region, and his grandparents live in Ludhiana to this day. His proud grandfather recalls in an interview that, as a boy, Monty “started off by hitting rubber balls on the walls.” Now, he said, “He should play well and make a name for himself. It does not matter to us whether he is playing for England or any other country.”
Though he also plays country cricket for Northhamptonshire, Panesar has launched into the public eye owing to some remarkable performances in only six months of international Test cricket. He played his first Test match against India in Nagpur in February, and since acheived fame by surprising everyone with his performance in the Test against Pakistan in July. This left-arm spinner took 3 wickets in the first innings, and took 5-72 in the second innings, the latter accounting for five of the six specialist batsmen. Together with Steve Harmison who took 6 in the first inning and 5-57 in the second, they made history as the first two bowlers to take all bowling wickets since “Laker’s Match,” in which Jim Laker took 19 wickets against Australia.
In addition to his excellence in bowling, Panesar has become recognised for his dedication, practice, and work ethic–and, perhaps, his relatively poor performance in the field, leading fans to cheer when he successfully fields and scores runs. His wicket taking celebration, an aimless trot down the wicket as he misses the extended high-fives, endears him to the spectators. He is perhaps most distinctive for maintaining his beard and wearing his patka on the pitch, an element of multiculturalism on the English team that is happily welcomed along with his excellent bowling skills.
David Ligertwood, Panesar’s agent, explained, “There’s an X-factor with Monty. He’s not just another player. He stands out as a character. Everybody can see he’s a good bloke and a fun guy, but a serious cricketer, and they warm to that. He also embraces his Asian background.” Panesar himself, in the same lengthy interview with the Sunday Times, noted that his heritage and his work ethic, two things that define him in the public eye, are entwined: “I follow Sikhism, and maybe I’ve channelled the discipline that religion creates into my cricket,” he said. “There’s discipline with any religion, and you can take it into a game or into anything else.”