Ex-England player Monty Panesar plays for a village cricket team

After receiving an Instagram message to fill a spot on a village cricket club, former England international cricketer Monty Panesar has said he enjoyed his first week on the team. After an overseas player was delayed due to visa and border issues, Dan Pennell, captain of Pelsall Cricket Club's first team, reached out to Panesar to invite him to play, which the professional cricketer said yes to. "I thought why not, the journey is shorter than my typical batting innings so I thought, yeah, let's just give it a go," he told BBC Radio WM. He played his first home game against Wombourne on Saturday, but the Walsall based team lost. "I played on and very much enjoyed it," the athlete said. Monty Panesar has previously appeared in 50 Tests, 26 one-day matches and a T20 international, as well as taking 709 first-class wickets during his professional career. "I see someone like James Anderson, you know, playing for Lancashire and [for me] it's that motivation of thinking, I can still play club cricket. "I love the game, bowling and interacting with the club, talking about cricket at a grassroot level," he said. Pelsall, based at the village's cricket and sports club near Walsall, currently