Spinner looks ahead to final Test

Panesar wary of the burden of pressure

Cricinfo staff

August 7, 2007

Monty Panesar wants to forget about jelly beans and get on with his bowling © Getty Images

Monty Panesar defended England's behaviour in the second Test defeat to India at Trent Bridge last week, saying the tense game was still played in the right spirit.

Panesar was speaking ahead of the final Test of a series that has been distinctly rougher round the edges than previous encounters between the two sides.

India's convincing seven-wicket win was overshadowed to some extent by various incidents on the field, from Sreesanth shoulder-barging Michael Vaughan and hurling down a dangerous beamer to Kevin Pietersen to the now infamous jelly bean incident. Incessant sledging formed a constant backdrop.

Panesar said, "We all want to see cricket played in the right spirit and that is what happened. You want to be competitive but you need to play the game in the right spirit, which is important.

"Peter Moores is the new coach with new enthusiasm and we are trying to emulate that enthusiasm in the game. We haven't had any instructions about how to conduct ourselves. We all knew the game was played in the right spirit and as long as we keep doing that I am sure everything will be fine.

"I think [the jelly bean incident] probably something that happened accidentally," said Panesar. "It was unintentional, it was just that during the drinks break accidentally a jelly bean went on the wicket. What is more important - what we all want to see - is cricket played in the right spirit."

England need to win the last Test to maintain their record of not having lost a Test series at home since 2001, while India are looking for only their second series win in England in the last 21 years.

"India are a strong team and it will be tough but if we can play good cricket like we have been doing there is a chance we will do well," said Panesar. "If we try and put too much importance on this Test and put pressure on ourselves it may not get the best out of us. All we can do is shift the momentum from the first Test and second innings of the second into the third."

Panesar also expressed his disappointment at his exclusion from England's Twenty20 World Championship squad. "My character is that I like to be involved in all forms of the game - you want to be part of things like the Twenty20 squad," he said. "But missing out does give you an opportunity to prepare for the winter [tour to Sri Lanka], so you can take it is a positive as well."

Panesar is, however, a member of England's ODI squad to take on India in a series of seven one-dayers.

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