'I was listening to too much advice' - Panesar

Monty Panesar believes that his move to Sussex will help to reignite his international career, after it was confirmed last week that he had signed a three-year deal which will take him away from Northamptonshire, the county he joined as a 17-year-old back in 1999.

Panesar, who is currently playing for the Highveld Lions in South Africa, endured a frustrating season in 2009. He lost his England place after one Test of the Ashes series, and ultimately his ECB central contract as well, while domestically, he managed only 18 wickets at nearly 60 runs apiece in first-class cricket.

Though he has often been lampooned for his use of the phrase "bowling in good areas", Panesar believes that his problems last season stemmed directly from his failure to heed that piece of advice. At international level, Graeme Swann's offspin emerged as a more inventive and attacking option to Panesar's slow left-armers, and in a bid to keep up and add new variety to his game, he lost sight of the basics.

"I think I was trying to look for answers, and looking to better myself and move my game forward, and I think what I ended up doing was listening to a lot of people to try and improve my game," Panesar told Cricinfo's Switch Hit podcast. "In the meantime I forgot to focus on the simple things. It's important to have a strong foundation, because after that you can start adding things to your game.

"Northants have been so good to me, but a fresh start is probably what I need, and at Sussex I'm really excited to get involved in the culture there, and hopefully be successful," he said. "I had good relationships at Northants, and worked hard, and while I was there I learnt a lot of things and made good friends. They helped me to play for England which is obviously the pinnacle thing for any cricketer."

There was interest from several counties when Panesar's move from Northants was tabled, but the chance to play at a venue which became synonymous with Mushtaq Ahmed, England's spin coach, was an understandable lure.

"Mushtaq was a factor, and the coach, Mark Robinson, was very keen to have me there as well, and the captain Michael Yardy," said Panesar. "I felt it would be a good move to go down south, especially with the support staff that they have, and the way they play their cricket. It was something I wanted to be part of."

Panesar's recuperation will begin in earnest when he starts his new life at Hove next summer, but for the time being, he is settling into his role as the Highveld Lions' overseas player. During his first match, he watched from the dressing-room as his new team-mate, Stephen Cook, scored 390 to break the South African domestic record, but against the Cape Cobras last week, he showed glimpses of his former self, taking 4 for 42 in 20.4 second-innings overs, to bowl his side to the brink of an unlikely victory.

"There was a bit of rough to play with on the left-handers' side which kept me in the game, and also I got quite a lot of overs in in the first innings which helped me establish good rhythm and good areas," said Panesar. "It meant I'd done my homework in the first innings, and meant I could hit the rough second time around, and apply pressure when it was needed."

England's cricketers are currently based just down the road in Johannesburg, and they are currently beset by injury with only 11 fit players for the warm-up match against South Africa A. But Panesar does not expect an SOS from Andy Flower just yet. "I'm just focusing on the Lions performances," he said. "I'm not looking beyond that or expecting a call-up. I just want to develop my game further. That is still my focus, to take it step by step.

"I'm really enjoying it out here," he added. "I've settled in really well with the Highveld Lions team, and they've welcomed me really well. I'm enjoying being a part of the team. I wish England the best of luck for Friday. I want to see a win for us and the start of some good momentum coming into the South Africa tour. But I'll have to put in some strong performances on a consistent basis to give myself a chance of getting back into the team, and that's entirely up to me."