'I've loved playing for a village cricket team'

TL;DR

Monty Panesar joined Pelsall Cricket Club after being invited to fill a spot due to an overseas player's visa issues. He expressed enjoyment in his first week with the village team.

Key points

Monty Panesar played for Pelsall Cricket Club.
He was invited to join due to an overseas player's visa issues.
Panesar took 193 wickets for England.

Monty PanesarPelsall Cricket Club

Monty Panesar has a black headscarf on and wears black glasses. He has black facial hair and is wearing a teal coloured t-shirt with a Twickenham Cricket Club logo on its chest. It is raining around him.

Monty Panesar took 193 wickets for England in all formats of the game [Shutterstock]

After receiving an Instagram message to fill a spot on a village cricket club, former England international cricketer Monty Panesar has said he enjoyed his first week on the team.

After an overseas player was delayed due to visa and border issues, Dan Pennell, captain of Pelsall Cricket Club's first team, reached out to Panesar to invite him to play, which the professional cricketer said yes to.

"I thought why not, the journey is shorter than my typical batting innings so I thought, yeah, let's just give it a go," he told BBC Radio WM.

He played his first home game against Wombourne on Saturday, but the Walsall based team lost. "I played on and very much enjoyed it," the athlete said.

Monty Panesar has previously appeared in 50 Tests, 26 one-day matches and a T20 international, as well as taking 709 first-class wickets during his professional career.

"I see someone like James Anderson, you know, playing for Lancashire and [for me] it's that motivation of thinking, I can still play club cricket.

"I love the game, bowling and interacting with the club, talking about cricket at a grassroot level," he said.

Pelsall, based at the village's cricket and sports club near Walsall, currently play in the South Staffordshire Premier League, in which they finished eighth last summer.

The current version of the cricket club was formed in 1919 with the amalgamation of the Pelsall Albion and Pelsall Wesley teams.

A usual turnout for matches played are about 20 people, but over 100 spectators turned up to see the star player hit the field.

"When I took the first wicket everyone was clapping and some of the guys said they'd like to see the 'Monty celebration'.

"I told everyone 'I'm here for my expert role, I'm a specialist who can't bat and can't field, so if anybody wants advice on that I'm here to help' ", he joked.

Despite his accolades, Panesar has enjoyed getting stuck in with being part of a village cricket club.

Q&A

Why did Monty Panesar join Pelsall Cricket Club?

Monty Panesar joined Pelsall Cricket Club to fill a spot after an overseas player was delayed due to visa issues.

How many wickets did Monty Panesar take for England?

Monty Panesar took 193 wickets for England in all formats of the game.

What did Monty Panesar say about his experience playing village cricket?

Monty Panesar said he enjoyed his first week with the village cricket team and found the journey shorter than his typical batting innings.