I think Panesar is strong mentally, and if the crowds have a pop at him it will make him perform better, so as long as racism is not among the verbals I dont see any problem with it,the Ashes 05 Warne flack was more good natured imo,I thought Jason Gillespie got the most stick last time.....

This is exactly the right attitude to have.
I have a good feeling about Monty - I can see him giving England old ball options that they have lacked in the past. In a strange way filling the old ball gap left by Jones.

Englands structure is supportive now - and with Freddie's enthusiasm in his ear all the time I'm sure Monty will thrive.

Thank god he wasn't around under Ray Illingworth's regime - Hopefully that "sink or swim" destructive attitude is gone forever, and Monty will benefit from the great team ethic that now prevails.

Paul Clarke

I don’t think Monty will have a problem with the crowds. His cricket never appears affected by those around him.
Whatever people think Monty will face into in Aus, the fact is that he went to India and played for the opposition as the first Sikh ever to play for England. That must be a psychological test.

Monty is loved for his ability to go from the ridiculous to the sublime and any crowd loves that.
My fear is that KP and Paul Collingwood - two players that we claim are "in your face" personalities react to the crowd, they seem more venerable than Monty.

Let's be patient and see what happens. It seems clear to me these days, probably more often than not, that crowd issues have arise because of racial and other unwelcome taunts at players. Importantly, Monty is yet to play on "foreign" soil. He has only appeared in England and the Asian continent, the place of his decendants.
I think he is strong. However, we're yet to see how he reacts to a sustain dose of adversity. Few have been able to survive, through no fault of theirs. After all, we are only human.

"the most hostile in the cricket world"
C'mon ... a bit of an over exaggeration dont you think ? When was the last time we rioted, set stands alight or burnt down houses ? THE most hostile ?
Get serious please.

Monty looks to be the best spinner England has had since probably underwood...
He is a characther- I love him!

Aussie criwds have a way of taking particular foriegn players to heart- Botham, Viv, Sachin.

Monty may well join that list of honourary Aussies...

I just hope Fletcher lets him play- he is twice the bowler Giles is. The Aussies fear good left-arm spin.

The Aussie players will be trying to crush Monty's sprirt early by hitting him around. However, I have a feeling that despite his appearance and demeanour, that Monty is made of sterner stuff and will rise to the challenge.

The crowds will ride him hard, but equally they will rise to recognise his talents and efforts if he shows he can take it in his stride and keep performng.

Monty may emerge as the mst popular England tourist in years.

Go Monty!

Monty will defintely rise to the occasion if given the opportunity -according to Andrew Strauss he is the second fittest player in the squad behind Liam Plunkett.

Monty's fitness is not only reflects his mental strength (he is not naturally fit and has had to graft hard) but will also stand him in good stead when faced with pressure from the Australian crowds. As he will be struggling less physically he will have more mental capacity to cope with any crowd jibes over his fielding or batting.

In the past the stress of crowd barracking will have been exacerbated for the likes of Phil Tufnell as they will have been physically drained by the Australian weather. Monty will be able to cope better with the physical elements and in turn find the crowd easier to deal with and potentially inspiring.

Panesar is an example to all cricketers of what hard work can achieve when allied to talent. He could well make a significant impact in the Ashes if the management supports him and is as positive as he is.

I'm sure the Australian crowds will warm to Panesar. The only things that get them really riled up about a player are things like cheating, poor sportsmanship, and a lack of effort on the field. He's guilty of none of those, so he should do just fine.

If anyone's going to get their back up, it's more likely to be Kevin Pietersen. He's naturally very confident and this can sometimes come across as arrogance. Regardless of how he does on the field, he'll need to be careful what he says off it to stay on the right side of the crowd.

Being a long suffering Pommie fan living in Aussie I am glad that Monty has joined the England team to

Absolute BS all this stuff about the crowd is. It seems that england are very worried about coming here, very worried indeed. Strange, because half the stuff they are trying to get people to believe happens in australia has never happened, and never will. The only people we get stuck into are people who think they're better than they are (bell, collingwood etc.), people who don't play by the spirit (tresco, vaughn, fletcher etc.) or people who are completely out of their depth (mahmood, bell etc.). This is all being based on what happened when SA turned up earlier this year - the thing is Smith and co said a lot stupid things in the media implying extreme arrogance, and with the likes of andre nel making a mockery of the spirit of the game they were always going to cop it. The racial stuff came from their expats, not the drunken aussies. If you play hard and fair you will gain respect and will be applauded - if you're 5ft nothing, get a pair and then claim that you're going to score multiple hundreds because you now poke your chest out (ie bell) you're simply digging your own grave.

The Aussie crowds will love Monty like they loved Tuffers. Australians have the same wonderful sense of humour as the English, but ours is tinged with a love of the underdog. A little battler like Monty will always find favour with Australians.

Aussie crowds got a bad rap for racist comments made to South Africans - but those comments were exclusively made by Afrikaaner immigrants who brought their hate with them across the Indian Ocean.

One more thing. What's with Kevin Pieterson's English tattoo? Give me a break. He's an Afrikaaner (who as a collective body hate the English more than anyone on the planet) who's lived in England 5 years. And we're supposed to believe, because of a crass tattoo on his bicep, that he's suddenly as English as Yorkshire pudding?

Aust to win 2-1. And, like always, 20% of the Balmy Army will love Australia so much that they'll immigrate here within a year.

Monty has nothing to fear.

Australin cricket crowds have a go at those who they percieve to be arrogant, nasty or lazy. Monty couldn't be further from that description.

Fielding gaffes might produce some good natured ribbing, but there will be no 'hate' or 'vitriol'. Phil Tufnell copped it not BECAUSE he was a poor batsman/fielder, he copped it over his batting & fielding because the crowd decided he was an annoying, lazy, whingeing, objectionable character. I don't see that happening to Monty at all.

Aussies love good and/or keen competitors, who rejoice in playing well for their teams. However, those who develop a need to 'stick it up' the crowd or the opposition will soon become targets.

If there is going to be a 'hate' figure this summer it will be someone like Kevin Pietersen if he shoots his mouth off too much or gets distracted by the crowd, or Paul Collingwood if goes on with his physically agressive body language without backing it up with bat and ball in every minute of every session.

Good comment by Nicole.

'the most hostile in the cricket world' is typical of the attempts by foreign journalists to have a dig at either the Australian team, it's fans, or the country in general. Although I suppose the writer, as an English journalist, wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't make ridiculously over the top statements.

Brian Lara stated that he felt like he was playing in front of his home crowd when he broke the test run scoring record in Adelaide, such was the goodwill towards him.

Is that an indication of the hostility and racism attributed to Australian crowds?

No doubt Monty will cop a bit, probably not as much as Jason Gillespie copped last Ashes series, but what he'll cop is a bit of banter so why make it out as if he's going to be dropped into the middle of a war zone?

Monty is certainly an interesting character- he is definitely strong willed, he has risen from the English "boos" to become one of the most loved characters in English Cricket. After winning over the home crowd, the fear is one that has killed many "upcoming geniuses" careers- the fear of expectation- already billed as one among the best of English spinners. If he can overcome that and focus on his game, i think crowds in Australia are secondary- great players do not wilt under crowd pressure- look at India's Sachin and Australia's Warnie, Sri Lanka's Murali, to name a few- the more the ruckus, the better their performance.

Here's hoping the good bloke Monty joins their ranks and delivers!Cricket needs new faces, as the stars of today are already in their twilight years. All the best Monty!

Monty was abused even in Bombay as was Flintoff but he kept smiling and waving at the crowd who eventually warmed up to him. When he dropped that sitter he was jeered loudly but he kept his cool and took the next one couple of balls later. The pressure will be more during The Ashes but I think he has a sound temperament and will win over the Aussie crowd as well with his enthusiasm and skill.

So, Mason, the only people you're going to get stuck into are six members of the England team plus their coach. How very reasonable! What on earth has Bell's height got to with anything? Or is that an ironic example of the sort of stick he can expect? I don't recall him ever claiming he was going to score multiple hundreds. He simply got on with the job and did it. Oh, and if you don't like players who don't play "by the spirit", perhaps you should direct some of your outrage towards your own captain, who is making a rather unfortunate habit of appearing before the match referee...

Totally agree with the main post. It is lazy thinking to say that because Tufnell copped it and couldn't handle it, Monty will also cop it and won't be able to handle it. Yes they are both left-arm spinners but they are a world apart both in terms of how they present themselves on the field and their mental make-up. Monty seems a more resiliant characater but we'll only know how Monty is going to cope if and when he plays. I personally hope he does. He's a great talent and this fixation with the number 8 batting position has to stop. Don't get me wrong, I hugely admire Gilo for the applciation and determination he's shown throughout his England career, but he's not the bowler that Monty is. Since when was the Number 8 batting position more important than the Number 1 spin bowling position?

I've been to every WACA test for the last few years, and I've yet to hear a single racist slur. Ever. Last year's taunts were made in Afrikaans after all (even if I didn't hear a single one) so logically they would have been made by Afrikaans expats.

Incidentally the West Indian team last year didn't complain once; nor did the Pakistanis, or the Indians the year before that.

First of all I consider Monty a very talented spinner, infact the best in England. But the fact that he has made so many comments about the crowds and how he is NOT worried shows that he is. There was a news item on how Monty consulted a psycologist to help him with the impending crowd trouble in the winter. To me that says that he is worried about it. Even if he was worried about it he shouldn't have made statements to the press about it. He should have been like "Crowd? What Crowd?"

don't worry about banter.. the pomms are underdogs and i can't wait for monty to take a hatful (or turbanful) in brisbane.. good on you mate.

Common monty's the best left arm spiner in th world aussie lefthnders will run for shelter

People so far seem to be taking two sides to the issue of aggressive aussie crowds. most of the english say they are racist and obscene, while the australians blame immigrants for racism (isnt that an irony!?). The truth however is probably much more mundane, with the incidents of racism being the exception rather than the rule. However if the authorities feel that it is becoming a problem then they should act premptively and not wait for an uglier episode to arise. The australians on the other hand should not reject these claims as ludicrous but investigate further and take measures to prevent individuals or groups, aussies or afrikanners from hurling racial abuse at the players in the future. Both sides need to exercise caution and common sense before coming to sweeping generalizations.

Im afraid to say that being brown skinned myself Monty's appearence probably excites every emotion of those uncomfortable with brownies. He wears a turban and has a beard which can only add to the hostility he will face. Monty will face the music like all his other team mates, and the support of his dressing room (psychologist included) will motivate him to perform. The fact that he is facing the problem head on rather than avoiding it ("crowd, what crowd") means that he will be better prepared to handle whatever is thrown at him.

For all those complaining of hostile australian crowds, dont forget the pig skin thrown into a stand populated by indians and pakistanis in england. Finger pointing is pointless precisely because the finger can be pointed at anyone. Instead we should take steps to ensure that the crowds enjoy themselves and taunt the opposition without getting nasty or personal. After all what is the purpose of a crowd if not to inspire the home team and pressure the visitors?

I don't think that word 'hostile' has been taken by some in the way it was meant - i don't think it was meant to say that the Australians have ever 'rioted, set stands alight or burnt down houses' but rather that when things go wrong for the opposition, the aussies, more than anyone else, are going to let them know. The implication and reality is, that Australian crowds are the most verbally hostile in the world - there is nothing wrong with this (as long as things dont get racist), it just means that they create a more intimidating atmosphere for the opposition.

I am an Indian and therefore neutral in this ashes war of words.

I think Monty is the first attacking left arm spinner England has produced in a long time. He loves to flight the ball and beat the batsmen in the air and that is what classic spin bowling is all about. Even Derek Underwood ,despite his fine record, was not that kind of a bowler.

Crowds supporting the home team and targetting some key or vulnerable players of opposition is nothing new and happens all over the world and in most sports. As long as its done in the right spirit, there should not be any issue. Monty was quite impressive when he made his debut in India against some of the finest players of spin bowling and came out with an enhanced reputation which shows his mental strength. I think he should be able to handle the crowds and perform which in turn will warm the Aussie crowds towards him.

I am Australian. Do I think our crowds are the 'most hostile' in the world? As far as cricket is concerned, yes, I do, and I think to claim otherwise is simply ludicrous.

A number of examples come to mind but in the interests of brevity I'll stick to just one.

Murali has no problems touring anywhere else. There may be controversy over his action but he himself seems a perfectly nice guy who isn't easily ruffled. But he has felt it necessary to refuse to tour here, and when he did return were the crowds welcoming of a master craftsman at the height of his powers? No, instead of appreciation he got an incessant and infantile chorus of 'no ball' every time he bowled, mixed with liberal quantities of general vituperation.

Australian crowds go to extreme lengths to let touring players know they're not welcome or appreciated. More than that, they seem to want the players to feel despised and reviled with no respite or relief.

Everyone agrees that racism is beyond the pale, but the reality is that Australian crowds think it's witty to be unrelentingly boorish and abusive to anyone with talent enough to put up resistence. Racist taunts are not such a big stretch from what has become a more general culture of loutish and offensive behaviour.

It's beyond time that Australian cricket fans stopped living in denial or relying on the feeble excuse that at least it isn't racist abuse. Abuse is abuse and it's just plain rude to treat guests to our country like that.

International cricketers are world-class professional athletes, not caged animals. They compete to the limits of their abilities within the spirit of the game, a spirit that should bind us as spectators no less strongly.

I don't think Panesar is wasting his time developing techniques to cope with this sort of thing, it strikes me as a wise precaution for any talented young cricketer.

Re-reading the posts there seems to be a lot of selective memory on the part of some Australian contributers so allow me to elaborate on why I think Australian crowds are badly behaved.

Apart from a pronounced tendency to yell hateful slurs at players and then call it 'banter' as though it's light-hearted and all in fun, the more serious blots on our record are:

Pelting John Snow with beer cans (ok, that was a long time ago).

Pelting the Gabba and MCG with plastic cups to the point where play could not continue.

We're the only country to be under ICC investigation for racist taunts by our crowds.

Our treatment of Murali. Who is neither arrogant, nor nasty, nor lazy.

But what I consider most telling are statements by the players. Sri Lankans, New Zealanders, South Africans and the English especially consistently report constant harassment that starts as they come through customs.

Remember how stunned Murali and Stephen Fleming were on their reception for the tsunami benefit matches? It was considered newsworthy that they weren't being harassed.

Yes, we don't abuse Lara, he scored 277 in no time flat against us on his first tour and it quickly became apparent no amount of abuse would deter him from scoring runs. We don't waste vitriiole on people who are unaffected by it. That doesn't make us a nation of fair-minded sports fans. It's also worth noting that we're a lot nicer to outstanding players when they're in teams that we happen to be thrashing handily.

No, Australians don't riot in the streets or burn things, we just do our best to make sure that visiting players from competitive teams are psychologically tortured at every available opportunity, that's so much more civilised right?

Since when have australians struggled against left hand spin? Sure, Vetorri gets a few wickets, but he still cops a hammering. Australia is a graveyard for finger spinners - infact even the best are too scared to come back. If Monty is a failure he will indeed become a laughing stock, but i'm sure he won't become a blubbering mess like Giles was after the 1st test.

from what i have seen of monty so far,i think he is quite a character.he enjoys his bowling,he enjoys the attention & just loves taking wickets.of course he tries very hard to do his best in other depts. as well which is really commendable.
but aussie crowd are not that easy to face too.we know what happened to murali.but monty is the kinda man who concentrates on his job.so don't think it will be a problem to him.and as always the best way to respond to a crowd is to keep taking wickets.go on,monty.

Crowds in different countries are diffrent ofcourse. for eg. Monty a sikh of indian origin played in India and quite well against India and no one in the passionate crowd called him a traitor.

Sajjid Mahmood on the other hand played against Pakistan in England and still some sections of the English born Pakistani crowd thought him as a traitor.

The point which i wish to make is that there are some people or crowds for whom their country's sucess in cricket is the only identity that the have. Then there are others who are just in love with this truly great game.

The aussies mindset and identity are quite entiwned with thier sucess over england and that is teh yardstick by which they judge themself. Monty and teh boys will be in for a bit of a hard time.

Then again if you cant take such things in ur stride do you deserve to play test cricket.

Is Mason serious? Including Collingwood in the players who think they're better than they are? The very man who replied, when asked what he brought to the team for the final ashes test, 'a little bit of ginger' and when asked why coaches liked him so much said, 'probably because there's so much to work on!' Those are hardly the words of a man claiming he's the next Bradman with the bat or McGrath with the ball, are they?

Anyway i'm only being defensive because he comes from just down the road from me. Heres to hoping our 'Monster' doesn't bowl a bad ball this winter and that Collingwood and Bell don't lose a wicket between them. Well you've got to hope, haven't you?

The English team could do with a little color and I don't mean skin. Monty is good for the team - he can be uplifting -- he did surprisingly well in India's cauldrons -- he appears to have a level head on his shoulders -- he should not have a problem with Aussie crowds, which aren't half as bad as they are made out to be - they are just Aussie !

Monty has been a revelation and a breath of fresh air for many Indiansliving in England.He is an obvious example of how hard work and dedication as well as a strong temperament can lead to success against many odds. Given his level headedness I am sure he will continue to work hard and prove a success on the toughest tour of all. Many Indian supporters were predicting the end of his career against India's great players of spin when he was picked for his first tour and one by one he has proved many wrong. I have no doubt he will come through this test of his skill provided the England management back him and dont opt for the easy option of a few runs at Number 8 plus a return of 1 for 80 odd now and then from Ashley Giles. Further can anyone explain how Matthew Hoggard, who is no great shakes with the bat continues to bat higher up the order then he deserves? Monty may turn into a decent bat if given a bit more responsibility and trust. I hope that Monty continues to ''Chak dey Phattey'' - a Punjabi expression that translates roughly to ''Lift the Floorboards'' or more appropriately in sporting parlance,''Raise the roof''!

"Australian crowds have the reputation of being the most hostile in the cricket world" is a bit harsh, in my 30+ years of watching and playing cricket in Australia I have yet to see a riot or stands being burned down or aggressive pitch invasions as have been seen on the sub-continent or the West Indies. The worst that I have encountered are a few drunks fighting under the scoreboard at Adelaide Oval - and they usually only fight each other.

We will have fun with Monty if he is anything like Phil Tufnell or Dilip Doshi but we won't need the riot police!

When is the england team going to find eleven worthy englishman to represent them?

what??

I just hope for England"s sake that they have the good sense to play Monty.At best Giles is a defensive bowler.Monty has the ability to be a match winner.Someone just has to see the Aussie record against Vettori.Fletcher should keep his nerve and pick Monty maybe even ahead of a pacer and I am sure Monty will keep his nerve.He is a breath of fresh air!

What Mason is saying is absoloutely ridiculous.

Ponting appears before the match referee more than any other captain in recent times. Mcgrath couldnt handle a bit of stick returned by sarwan. Warne names bunnies before the ashes such as strauss, and strauss repied with a century with warne bowling.

I think the aussies shuld deal with their own before jumping at othas.

Australia crowds are indeed the most abusive. Saying its expats is ridiculous and absoloute rubbish.

And why do English people have this bizarre fixation with the 'menace' of Australia? Australia is an infinitely better country than England. In terms of lifestyle, quality of life and the decency of its people. I should know. My family immigrated here from England when I was young and have thanked God every day since.

Posted by: Luke
--------------------------

You have a point here Luke but I don't think your ordinary English cricket fan follows that route. The media do their best to big it up and some (most definitely the minority) choose to follow it. The 'menace' thing has probably developed in media after years of failure touring the country and everything seems that much worse when you're losing heavily.
Sure, Australians will have a go, in a way only Australians can, but the massive majority are not monsters and, I'm sure I'm not alone here, I find Aussie banter quite amusing! I expect our cricketers can do the same.

"Australian crowds have the reputation of being the most hostile in the cricket world" is a bit harsh, in my 30+ years of watching and playing cricket in Australia I have yet to see a riot or stands being burned down or aggressive pitch invasions as have been seen on the sub-continent or the West Indies"

Again, you're mistaking 'Hostile' for 'Violent'. No-one has said that Aussie crowds are violent, but they ARE hostile. and for once and for all, there is nothing wrong with that, its just the way it is.

Freddie is a big fan of the Monster and will get the best out of him.
I reckon that Monty + Saj will offer more than Simon Jones + Gilo.
As for the crowd, Saj reacted to the traitor chants by bowling fast and straight.
By all accounts Sydney is a bit of a Bunsen and I expect Monty to spin us to victory.

Monty P bothered? This is what he has dreamed for and practised for. He'll do just fine.

The fact that Flintoff is now talking about playing two spinners just emphasises the poor extent of the England selectors thinking, and their refusal to confront the difficult decisions. Having comprehensively failed to address the issue (in fact ignored it) of the likely weakness of our lower middle order and tail we are now heading inexorably towards the only satisfactory team considering the players picked in the squad. Incredible though that given the options implied by picking 16 men in the squad, that the selectors have removed the two (probably better) alternatives. The lack of batsmen in the squad has ruled out the four man attack option, and Dalrymple would have been a significantly better option as second spinner than Giles - a significantly better batsman who would also allow Read to bat in his rightful position, and more than capable of bowling the overs required of a second spinner whilst offering more variety to the attack to boot.

Meanwhile there is talk of giving all 16 (!) of the squad a game in the first tour match, meaning wasting valuable overs on players who will not come close to the test team short of a dramatic injury crisis.

"It's also worth noting that we're a lot nicer to outstanding players when they're in teams that we happen to be thrashing handily" - Tony P

When Lara scored 277 in Sydney, WI were the best in the world, and won that series 2-1.....big thrasing mate. What about Tendulkar's 205* in Sydney in 03-04? the series was 1-1, and India were in the process of amassing 7-705, another 'handy thrashing'.

Aussie supports appreciate good play. The reasons Murali cops so much in Aus is because he whinged, and refuses to come back. If he came, gritted his teeth, ignored the crowds chanting and bowled well, by the end of a tour he would be well respected. Aussie's are also not alone in their treatment of Murali - see the barmy army in Sri Lanka in I think it was '03

"Throw, throw, throw the ball,
Gently down the seam,
Murali, Murali, Murali, Murali,
Chucks it like a dream - NO BALL"

And Jonno - "Mcgrath (sic) couldnt (sic) handle a bit of stick returned by sarwan (sic)" - there's a difference between 'a bit of stick', and abusing his wife, who struggling with cancer at the time! I reckon you wouldn't have verballed him, you'd have hit him.

Find my one born and bred Aussie who knew the words 'Kaffir Boetie', before last year, and I'll be surprised. Find me a South African living in Perth who did, and I won't be. I have rellies from RSA, and I had heard the word 'Kaffir' (only because of the rellies), but never 'boetie'.

Another point on crowd abuse - No player has ever climbed into a stand in Australia to hit a spectator with his cricket bad because of the abuse. I know that banter goes on, and I also know that some people take that too far, into the realm of abuse, but that is a minority, not the majority, and this happens all over the world.

On the actual post - Monty will undoubtedly cop some stick around Aus.....my advice to him would be, shut it out as best you can, smile and wave to the crowd, sign a few autographs, and by January 6th (end of Sydney test), the crowds will love him. Best of luck, I hope he plays well on a losing side ;)

I am an Aussie cricket lover and to be perfectly honest I can't wait for Monty to come out here. I can't remember the last time we played England and they had a world class spinner in their team. (What were they thinking bringing Richard Dawson last time???) Aussie crowds love to watch spin bowling and so they will embrace Monty, especially if he delivers well on the field.

There has been lots of talk about whether Monty will get dropped once Giles is fit again, but there is still another option yet to be debated. The Aussies are going to play Warne and MacGill at some stage, why not play Monty and Giles in the same team. Plunkett and Mahmood haven't really set the world on fire with batting or bowling in their test career whilst Monty has been a revelation. It would give the attack a lot more variety, and wouldn't it be great to see four spin bowlers (three of them excellent) playing in a Test in Australia!

On a further note, I think I hold an opinion of many in the world that I really don't want to see Giles playing for England again, especially now when they have a match winning spinner at their disposal. Keep in mind that whist Giles main role in the team is to tie up the opposition (econ rate 2.84 with avg of 39.6), his replacement has provided the same services (econ 2.58) with a much better average (32.4).

Monty Panesar is the most hyped cricketer in the world.He is definitely not bad but certainly is not the best in the world. Englishmen always hype up things...Andy Murray suddenly becomes the best tennis player,monty panesar,the best finger spinner..!!! Gimme a break !!

I agree that Australian crowds can be verbally hostile to opposition players, expecially those who for one reason or another seem worthy of "special treatment", eg: Hadlee, Tuffnell, Murali. And there can be violence at cricket matches, although this is virtually never directed towards the players. But in 25 years of going to cricket matches in Australia I can only recall hearing one overtly racist comment directed at an opposition (in this case West Indian) player, and the idiot responsible was immediately shouted down and booed by the majority of the 2,000-odd people within earshot. And this was in the early 1980s, when there was still overt racism in other aspects of Australian society, including at football matches.

It seems to me that many of those who claim that Australian cricket crowds are racist have (a) not spent much time in the midst of said crowds; and (b) are themselves guilty of falling into lazy stereotypes, eg: Australians are backward and racist rednecks. Australian crowds are certainly very rowdy and can even be quite cruel (eg: the relentless no-balling of Murali), but racist? I don't think so. Unless of course you support the ridiculous South African claim that Australian crowds shout their racist abuse in fluent Afrikaans.

So whether or not Monty gets the "special treatment" from Australian crowds will have nothing to do with his skin colour. It will depend solely on whether he has a dodgy bowling action, or is too fat, or drops easy catches, or just seems like he's a bit too far up himself.

Im an Australian and hate England but I do respect them for what they achieved last year but remember the circumstances which are facing Monty Panesar are far more different than the two he has already faced. Those being playing India in India where their pitches suit spin bowling and playing at home where all the support is his.

In Australia, however, he faces arguably the biggest test he will ever have.

The only pitch that will offer him any assistance is Sydney and that is the last test match. The series could b over by then considering Australia's recond in Brisbane, the home of the first test.

Look at the opposition that faces him. Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey and Gilchrist are all fantastic players of spin with the only exception from Australia's supposed batting line-up being the all rounder in Shane Watson.

If you remember the international demise of Jason Gillespie you remember that when he was getting smacked around in the first three tests his fielding deteriorated as the tests went by. Panesar is already a poor fielder even before the series begins and Flintoff will find it tough to hide him out there. Id suggest in the vacinity of mid on, mid wicket.

Panesar no doubt will be a force in the years to come but this upcoming Ashes tour will be one of learning and experience because he is no Shane Warne.

Good luck Monty in the future just not against Australia.

:)

"Absolute BS all this stuff about the crowd is. It seems that england are very worried about coming here, very worried indeed. Strange, because half the stuff they are trying to get people to believe happens in australia has never happened, and never will. The only people we get stuck into are people who think they're better than they are (bell, collingwood etc.), people who don't play by the spirit (tresco, vaughn, fletcher etc.) or people who are completely out of their depth (mahmood, bell etc.). This is all being based on what happened when SA turned up earlier this year - the thing is Smith and co said a lot stupid things in the media implying extreme arrogance, and with the likes of andre nel making a mockery of the spirit of the game they were always going to cop it. The racial stuff came from their expats, not the drunken aussies. If you play hard and fair you will gain respect and will be applauded - if you're 5ft nothing, get a pair and then claim that you're going to score multiple hundreds because you now poke your chest out (ie bell) you're simply digging your own grave."

One of the funniest things I have read for a while. Why do Collingwood and Bell think they are better than they are? Because they have the audacity to be picked for test matches? When have Vaughan and Trescothick not played by the spirit? As for the racism, you have no idea who said it unless you were in every stand for every day of the test matches. Either way, racism happened at your grounds. As for the last statement, Bell got a pair in the last test of last year. He did not say anything like that, but he HAS gone out and scored 4 (ie multiple) hundreds.

Good arguement though, really well thought out.

For those people (Mark and others on this blog) who like to refer to Mahmood and Monty as 'foreigners' or non-Englishmen, they were born in England, therefore they are English. 50% of Australians are either first or second generation Australians-do you not count these individuals as Australians? because if that is the case, Australia's population is only 10 million...and Andrew Symonds is English, George Gregan Zambian, Lote Tuqiri Fijian etc.!

Furthermore, Pietersen is not an Afrikaner. The Afrikaner is a set ethnic group, who speaks Afrikaans, shares a common 'Afrikaans' history, has certain shared values etc (basic Anthropology). Pietersen is an English speaking South African, with an English mother. I am doubtful that he is fluent in Afrikaans, and it certainly is not his first/home language...therefore, he is not an Afrikaner.

On the infamous Sarwan-McGrath incident, McGrath made a remark about the size of Sarwan's 'manhood' to which Sarwan roughly replied: 'How do you know? Ahh, your wife, she must have told you.' Pretty standard insult from both players, to which McGrath freaked out.

Monty will no doubt get a lot of attention from the crowds-merely because the media have already hyped up this situation. Aussie crowds are going to want to get a look at this person they are 'destined' to abuse! He shall however 'charm' the Australian crowds in my opinion. With his awkward smile, turban and beard, smooth, classic, repetitive action, spontaneous celebration, broad shoulders, and try hard attitude, he is miles away from the boredom of Ashley Giles, and displays none of the disrespect with which Tufnell appeared to treat cricket. And if he is racially abused, it would indeed be a sad reflection on Australian sport, and society as a whole.

Pat said: "When is the england team going to find eleven worthy englishman to represent them?...even now the future is in the hands of Pietersen, Strauss both South African, Panesar Indian, Mahmood god nows where."

Just to let you know: Mahmood is from Lancashire, Panesar is from Bedfordshire and Strauss moved from South Africa at age 7 with his parents for the sole purpose of making the England cricket team! :-p

I guess Pat's terribly racist view is that for a player to represent England, they must have been born in Britain and have proof of ten generations of non-white blood in them! I wonder what Pat feels about the likes of Kepler Wessels and Andrew Symonds (born in England to English and West Indian parents) representing Australia.

Or should I suppose he advocates that the Australian team finds eleven worthy Australians - Aboriginal Australians, that is, as they are the only non-immgrants in that country - to represent them...?

Australia the most hostile place to play cricket? You've got to be having a laugh! Karachi anyone? Calcutta? Yorkshire?!!!

Aside from the obvious there'll be huge numbers of England fans, huge England noise, and the Aussies silenced by the score anyway. Thats if they're not sleeping off the effects of their Lite schooners.

Pietersen won't be distracted by the Aussie crowds, he got it BIG from the South-Africans and came out on top.

In general, the Aussie crowds are not racist, they are just moronic, boorish and loud, reflecting their collective IQ after a few XXXX lagers. The English at least make up a song that rhymes with Murali, whereas you have thousands of dumb witted Aussies screaming NO BALL every time he bowls. This type of unintelligent and not very witty sledging will be like water off a duck's back for the English players.

I think England face a captaincy problem and without Vaughan they have no chance down under, that, and not the crowd, will be their real problem.

Sometimes I think certain memebers of the Australian crowds are a bit much, but saying "thousands of dumb-witted Aussies" is overstating it. It's no more than a couple of dozen, and they just happen to make themselves noticed more. And ass for the rest of us? Well, we're just not allowed to carry guns.

This whole thing reminds me of a documentary I watched, Outfoxed, which tried to represent Fox News as a far-right propaganda channel. Yet when I watched it out of curiosity, I found this representation to be massively blown out of proportion. Now the same thing's happening with Australian crowds.

Marcus is actually right, the vast majority of fans are fair and keen on cricket, it is just that two dozen loud oafs full of beer sound like thousands, and you find them in cricket grounds all over the world.

Maybe people are targeting the Aussie fans because we cannot beat their players at cricket, so we are looking for a scapegoat.