London: Rookie spinner Monty Panesar should brace himself for some "racist mockery" from Australian fans who are likely to lampoon his sloppy fielding during the Ashes later this year, warns Ashes legend Mike Brearley.
Panesar, the first Sikh ever to play for England, bowled well in England's six-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the second Test but his fielding left a lot to be desired.
During the Test series in India, he famously dropped Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the last match in Mumbai before making amends when the Indian wicketkeeper holed out to him again in the same innings.
Against Sri Lanka, he dropped an absolute sitter to reprieve Lasith Malinga.
More such fumblings would make him a soft target for merciless Aussie rednecks this winter, said Brearley, now a practising psychoanalyst.
The former England captain also warned Panesar that the experience could be upsetting when light-hearted affection of home crowds turns to withering abuse.
"Racism has been an alleged feature of recent Australian cricketing crowds, complained about by Muttiah Muralitharan and by the South African team," he was quoted as saying in The Mirror.
"Will Panesar be able to keep his head, and to improve rather than decline, under such pressure?"
"He looks a steady young man, but he will need a lot of pluck and support to thrive when his every on-field move in Australia becomes the object of what is likely to be, in some part, shamelessly abusive and even racist mockery," he said.
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