ECB cancel Panesar's proposed stint at Sri Lankan club cricket
Thursday, 30 Oct 2008 21:43
Monty Panesar wanted to play in Sri Lanka
Monty Panesar will not play club cricket in Sri Lanka this winter and will instead train with the England Performance squad.
The England spinner was scheduled to play a month for Sri Lankan side Bloomfield CC in order to gain experience of bowling in the sub-continent ahead of the tour to India. But the move has now been called off after Bloomfield asked £7,500 in return for playing Panesar.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have refused to meet with this demand made by Bloomfield.
"It's disappointing that these late demands have emerged because Panesar was really looking forward to this opportunity to play in Sri Lanka," an ECB spokesman said.
"Panesar was due to travel to Sri Lanka on 2 November to play a series of games for the club to get match practice ahead of joining the England squad for the forthcoming Test Series against India.
"It is now likely that Panesar's preparation will be based around the England Performance Programme which includes a high performance camp in India."
The ECB were thought to have offered a donation of £500 to help Bloomfield build a new clubhouse, but the Sri Lankan team refused this and asked for more money. The ECB are still looking at a couple of options which might help Panesar get experience bowling in the sub-continent.