It is a sign of the times that of the twenty names put forward as aprovisional list for the ECB National Academy to go to Australia at the endof the current season, two of them are from the British Asian community

Ralph Dellor21-Jul-2002It is a sign of the times that of the twenty names put forward as aprovisional list for the ECB National Academy to go to Australia at the endof the current season, two of them are from the British Asian community. Itwas not so very long ago that Asians did not feature on county staffs. Nowthere are only two or three that do not have representatives from withinthat community.Looking further afield, it is not only in England that Asians are playing aprominent role in cricket development. In the emerging nations of theEuropean Cricket Council, the game is being nurtured throughout theassociate and affiliate members of ICC by Asians. They are at the heart ofdevelopment programmes right across Europe and now the process has gone fullcircle in that Kent have recruited Amjad Khan, a fast-medium bowler andright hand batsman who is not of Anglo-Asian descent at all. He is Danishand first came to the county’s attention when playing for Denmark againstthe Kent Cricket Board in the NatWest Trophy of 1999.He has not yet been selected for the Academy – though many more performanceslike those he has been putting in of late and he could be there one day -but there is delight in Worcestershire and Northamptonshire that Kabir Aliand Monty Panesar respectively have been included on the shortlist.

Kabir Ali is a right-arm fast-medium bowler who hails from Birmingham. Hisearly cricket was in club cricket in Warwickshire where his father ShabirAli played club cricket, and he was then picked up by Worcestershire. Herepresented England Under 19s in both “Test” and one-day cricket and, stillonly 21 years of age, he has been making quite a name for himself by virtueof the best possible reason, namely taking wickets.It was a process that started last season when he only played in fourfirst-class matches but in that time took 14 wickets at 18.07 each,including five for 22 against Gloucestershire. That was the cheapest maidenfive-wicket return for Worcestershire, and he seems to specialise in makingan immediate impact. He took four for 29 on his Benson and Hedges Cup debutagainst Glamorgan in 2000 and took the gold award, in the same season thathe recorded his maiden first-class fifty against Nottinghamshire.He actually made his debut in 1999 with a single first-class match, playedten further games in 2000 when he appeared no more than a youngster whomight or might not make it. Then he made definite progress in 2001 beforehis form and performances this season have marked him out as a definiteprospect.He has extended his best bowling figures to seven for 43 and has contributedwith the bat as well, with his highest innings now standing at 51 not out.These are encouraging signs, for it is easy for a player to make an earlyimpression and then fade. Kabir Ali, rather than fading, has made steadyprogress and has impressed as good a judge as Rod Marsh, the Head Coach ofthe National Academy.If he does gain selection to party that eventually goes to Adelaide for thewinter, his other career will have to be put on hold. In his spare time, andto boost his income, Kabir Ali works as a male model. Now there have beenquite a few posers in the game, but Kabir Ali’s posing is done strictly forthe camera. When he gets his cricket kit on, he has consistently producedthe goods to show that he has a genuine future in the game.

Northamptonshire’s left-arm spinner Mudhsuden Singh Panesar (or “Monty” ashe is known throughout the game) does not have any pretensions as a fashionmodel, but he has the potential to develop as a model for other left-armorthodox spinners to follow.He learned his cricket in Bedfordshire, having been born in Luton and goingto Bedford Modern School. From there he went on to Loughborough Universityand with the close links between Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, he madehis first-class county debut last season having played a couple of years ofminor county cricket. Again, he made an immediate impact with match figuresof eight for 131 on his debut against Leicestershire with four for 11 in thesecond innings from 20 overs.In the first innings of that match he had to bowl at Shahid Afridi as hereached a century off 74 balls and went on to 164. Panesar did not suffertoo badly, for although his four wickets cost 120 runs, they were scored off35 overs.This was all part of the learning process that saw him feature in theEngland Under 19 side for two seasons. His has not been a rapid rise to thetop, for by the start of this season he had bowled just over 100 overs inhis two first-class matches. He has played in one more so far this season,taking his workload to 117.3 overs in three first-class matches, with 13wickets at 31.53 each.Those might not appear to spectacular figures, but there is a classical,timeless quality about his bowling action that suggests he might not go theway of so many of his type and suffer an attack of the ‘yips’. Certainly hehas done enough to impress the selectors and if he does make it to Adelaidefor the winter, watch out for the name of Monty Panesar establishing himselfas one of the best spin bowling prospects in English cricket.