Monty too one dimensional, needs to improve: Warne

Monty Panesar, the Sikh left arm spinner may be Englands best tweaker in years, but Australian great Shane Warne believes that he needs to improve.

London, July 27: Monty Panesar, the Sikh left arm spinner may be England's best tweaker in years, but Australian great Shane Warne believes that he needs to improve.

"Monty is a very good bowler, but he has a lot to improve. To me, he is a bit one-dimensional. That might be a little harsh, but he bowls about the same every time. I know he has a few subtle variations, but he could do so much better than he is doing," The Sun quoted Warne as saying while on a visit to the Lords cricket ground.

"Once he's played 50 or 60 Tests, he'll know how to handle himself. For a long time last weekend I felt he didn't have a plan but was waiting for the batsman to make a mistake. You've got to understand that it's not where the ball pitches but how it got there," Warne added.

He has been contacted by most of the world's top spin bowlers, Panesar included, and has told them what he knows.

Revealing that a young Kevin Pietersen impressed him a great deal with his desire to learn, he says only the surface of his talent has been scratched.

When asked whether Pietersen better than Tendulkar, Warne say: "With Kevin, it's extraordinary potential. Sachin has done it, the best batsman I've bowled to. Very hard to split him and Brian Lara, but for me, Sachin was the hardest to bowl to."

"Early on we (the Australia team) tried to sledge him and he made three or four hundreds in a row, so we then befriended him. He and I have become very good mates, we text each other a lot," he added.

ANI