Panesar Pips Blackwell to Final Tour Place

Uncapped Northamptonshire spinner Monty Panesar has been named as the final man in England’s 16-man squad for the forthcoming Test tour of India. The 23-year-old left-armer’s call-up was confirmed today by chairman of selectors David Graveney.

Panesar, who took 46 championship wickets at 21.54 last season, flew out to Adelaide before Christmas to work on his batting and fielding. He has beaten off competition from Ian Blackwell for the final place, but the Somerset all-rounder could end up joining him anyway - because he has been placed on stand-by should Ashley Giles fail to recover sufficiently from his recent hip operation. Blackwell takes his place as one of 10 internationals included in the A squad to tour West Indies, where he will gain match practice in case he is needed for the senior tour.

"Monty’s done very well for Northamptonshire over a period of time, and I’m sure he’ll be really excited at the prospect of touring India," said Graveney. "It’s hugely to his credit that he took the initiative in approaching the selectors before Christmas to discuss how he could improve all aspects of his game, and we’re delighted with the progress he’s made following the recent trip to Adelaide."

Giles now faces a race against time to be fit for the opening Test in Nagpur on March 1 - and Dr Peter Gregory, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s chief medical officer, will be supervising his rehabilitation. "Ashley has been experiencing discomfort in his right hip over the past fortnight following the operation he underwent in early December and saw a specialist in London on Tuesday," explained Gregory. "The expert advice we have received is that Ashley will need to rest if he is to achieve maximum benefit from surgery. Therefore, we don’t intend to push Ashley through the more demanding stages of rehabilitation at this stage - because this could compromise the future health of his hip joint.

"The medical team’s current view is that it’s unlikely he will be fit for the start of the tour of India. But he will continue with his rehabilitation program as pain allows, and the medical team will continue to monitor his progress closely."

Worcestershire’s Vikram Solanki has been chosen to captain the A squad, which includes Warwickshire spinner Alex Loudon who impressed without forcing his way into the Test side during the pre-Christmas tour of Pakistan. "The selectors also considered Alex for the Test squad - and although he’s not been included on this occasion, he made a good impression in Pakistan and is one of a number of spin bowlers we have chosen on the A tour," added Graveney.

England A squad: V Solanki (Worcestershire, capt), Kabir Ali (Worcestershire), J Anderson (Lancashire), G Batty (Worcestershire), I Blackwell (Somerset), R Clarke (Surrey), A Cook (Essex), J Dalrymple (Middlesex), E Joyce (Middlesex), A Loudon (Warwickshire), S Mahmood (Lancashire), C Read (Nottinghamshire, wkt), O Shah (Middlesex), A Wharf (Glamorgan), M Yardy (Sussex).