Sussex spinner handed England contract (From The Argus)

Sussex spinner handed England contract

10:38am Thursday 7th March 2013 in Sport By Steve Hollis

Sussex spinner Monty Panesar has been awarded an England incremental contract by the ECB for 2012-13.

Panesar had been a peripheral player in the England set-up for the last few years but made a huge impact in the historic series win in India before Christmas.

His worth to the national team was further highlighted this week when Graeme Swann had to pull out of the Test series in New Zealand to have surgery on his elbow.

Panesar, who lost his central contract in 2009, qualifies for the incremental contract by virtue of having played three Test matches against India and one versus New Zealand during the current contractual period.

ECB national selector Geoff Miller said: "This award reflects the contribution Monty has made to the Test team during the winter and I would like to congratulate him on his achievements."