Monty the Lone Spinner Needs a Mentor As Top Priority

As England labored to finish off South Africa's second innings and Monty Panesar ended a challenging Test summer in a delicate frame of mind, it seemed appropriate to inquire how England were getting on with appointing a new spin bowling coach. "It's an ongoing process," came the official reply. "Nothing has changed."

Actually something has changed. While processes have been ongoing, England have lost a Test series against South Africa and Panesar is among those attracting most opprobrium, largely because of his failure to bowl England to victory in helpful conditions at Edgbaston, the Test that turned the series.

Panesar's figures in this series bear comparison with any English bowler. His 13 wickets at 31.69 are commonplace but they are enough to maintain his career average, to top England's averages for this series and to put him second in wicket taking to the seamer James Anderson, who is deemed to have made great strides.

Panesar also held his nerve after tea yesterday, bowling AB De Villiers as he advanced to drive him through the leg side in search of his hundred. De Villiers went after Panesar from the moment South Africa were seven down but never quite managed it and only an attempted quicker ball - Panesar's last delivery before the new ball was taken - could be construed as a gift. De Villiers' innings was as strange as it was spirited: lacking conviction initially, grateful as England spread the field, gaining assurance by stealth.

Panesar's development has slowed, with his lack of an arm ball particularly mystifying, while his batting and fielding have degenerated again, inviting the suspicion that his focus has wavered. Even when he is refused stone-dead lbw appeals, he is blamed for irritating umpires by break dancing rather than appealing.

He cut a forlorn figure at times, banished to fine-leg, as much out of harm's way as possible. As the fast bowlers were entrusted with most of the morning session he looked the unhappiest bearded Englishman since Clement Freud, and at least Freud can cheer himself up occasionally by winning a round of Just A Minute, whereas Monty would be penalized for repetition the second he parroted the one about bowling it in the right areas.

When Panesar did bowl, his inevitable lbw appeals were made slightly guiltily, a man unsure in his work. When Aleem Dar refused a good lbw shout against Morne Morkel it looked likely to add to the bowler's confusion. But the next ball struck his front pad and glanced off his glove to Ian Bell at short-leg and Dar made an excellent decision.

England's fast bowlers regularly have a collective session with the fast bowling coach, Ottis Gibson. The batsmen turn to Andy Flower. But Panesar, who for all the camaraderie of the dressing room, is one of the more isolated figures by virtue of his religion and character, has no mentor on hand.

While ECB processes are ongoing, Panesar's career is entering an awkward phase. He faces a two-Test series in India before Christmas knowing that he flunked a series in Sri Lanka a year ago. It would help if the ECB's due processes had concluded their ongoingness before then. England were supposedly oblivious to Michael Vaughan's restlessness leading up to his resignation, so they may also be unaware of Panesar's uncertainty. It exists.

The spin bowling coach should be selected specifically to be Panesar's tutor, a person deliberately identified as someone to whom he can naturally relate, both in spin bowling and in all aspects of his life.

This is not to suggest the appointment of someone like Bishan Bedi, the great Indian slow left-armer, who has long been a maverick trapped in his own time. But there are no other England spin bowlers of comparable quality to Panesar and there is no point pretending that there are. England are fond of importing Australians and South Africans. If the right candidate exists, it is time to import someone from the sub-continent.