How would-be MP Monty Panesar had troubles outside his England cricket heroics ... trends now
Being an England cricketer does not often come without its controversies. And it's safe to say Monty Panesar has had his fair share.
The cricket hero has hit the headlines once again after announcing he will be standing for the George Galloway's Workers' Party at the next General Election.
He will be standing as an MP for Southall and has even signalled his hopes of one day becoming Prime Minister in a suprise announcement that is sure to delight some cricket fans, who see him as a cult hero.
By launching himself into back into the limelight, Panesar has not only spurred people to reminisce about his England cricket heroics, but also incidents from his problematic past that he may wish to forget.
Here, MailOnline takes a stroll down memory lane and lists some of the highs and lows of the beloved spin bowler's career as well as his troubles outside his time on the crease.
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar give speech at George Galloway workers party on Parliament Square on Tuesday
Monty Panesar in action during a County Championship game between Essex and Northamptonshire at Castle Park on August 20, 2013
Monty Panesarpictured in a promotional photo for ITV's Dancing on Ice TV series in 2017
Unsuprisingly, Panesar is also not lacking in terms of career highlights, with 50 international test appearances, between 2006 and 2013.
During this time he took a whopping 167 Test wickets and also helped England towards two historic ashes wins in 2009 and 2011.
Two years after his debut against India in January 2006, Panesar was selected for a three-Test series against New Zealand, where he achieved his best single innings figures to date of 6/37 during the second match at Old Trafford.
His phenomenal bowling helped England win the game by six wickets and an overall 2-0 win in the Test series, with the then 26-year-old also named player of the match.
But it was in that 2009 ashes win on home soil that saw Panesar's 'finest hour' in an England cricket shirt, when he and and James Anderson combined to deny Australia a 1-0 lead in Cardiff.
When the two tail-enders came together, the home team were staring at an innings defeat but instead of seeing the last rites, the crowd witnessed a startling feat of defiance as the pair saw out 11.3 overs over 38 minutes.
Monty later told The Mirror in 2021, that that moment was his biggest career highlight. When asked for his favourite Ashes memory, he said: 'It's got to be the Cardiff Test match, that's my finest hour in an England shirt!
'I didn't expect to draw that Test match but somehow these kinds of miracles happen! It was brilliant to play in such a big series and draw that Test match.
'It created momentum for the England team and we went on to win the series.'
Monty Panesar bowls during day two of the First Test between India and England at the VCA Stadium on March 2, 2006
Monty Panesar poses for photographers following a press conference at Lord's cricket ground, on January 27, 2006
Monty Panesar celebrates a wicket during the third day of the 2nd Test Match between England and New Zealand at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on May 25, 2008
James Anderson and Monty Panesar walk off after securing the draw during day five of the 1st Ashes Test Match between England and Australia in Cardiff on July 12, 2009
Graeme Swann shares a joke with Monty Panesar during an England nets session at The Wanderers Cricket Ground in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2011
A year after the momentus win, the sportsman married his wife of three years Gursharan Rattan in a traditional Sikh ceremony and the couple moved to Hove in East Sussex when he signed a three-year contract to play for Sussex.
But problems in their marriage soon began to show and he was arrested by police after reports of an argument with his wife in a pub car park in January 2011, the same month England defeated Australia 3-1 at home in the Ashes.
Panesar was interviewed by police before being released without charge.
The couple divorced in 2013 despite Monty doing 'everything he could to make it work', with pharmacist Rattan, saying he had behaved in such a way during the 2011 incident that she no longer wanted to live with him.
The devout Sikh, who is meant to abstain from alcohol under the Sikh code of conduct, later admitted he began drinking that same year, with one drunken night landing him in controversy.
The spin bowler was forced to apologise after being fined £90 for his drunken antics at a nightclub in Brighton in August 2013 during which he urinated on a bouncer.
He was thrown out of the Shooshh nightclub on Brighton seafront after a group of young women complained that he was bothering them.
He is believed to have then gone on to the promenade above the club and relieved himself on the doormen below.
Witnesses said the bouncers gave chase and cornered the cricketer in a pizza restaurant, where he was heard shouting 'Help! Help!', before he was put in an arm lock and dragged back to the venue.
The cricketer, who lived in nearby Hove, was detained for 45 minutes before the police arrived and issued him with a £90 spot fine for being drunk and disorderly.
He was also dropped by his county club Sussex, which announced his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season, following the incident.
The England cricket team after they defeated Australia 3-1 in the Ashes series following the 5th Test match in Sydney on January 7, 2011
Monty Panesar boxes with head coach Peter Moores during the England nets session at Edgbaston, Birmingham
Monty Panesar practices his ball control during an England nets session at Galle International Cricket Stadium on March 24, 2012
Monty Panesar is seen being manhandled by nightclub bouncers after he was ejected from Shoosh nightclub in Brighton for drunken behaviour in 2013
Monty Panesar is kicking out in the direction of opposition batsman, Worcestershire's Ross Whitely while bowling for Essex in 2013
Panesar's spokesman said he did not dispute being fined for his drunken antics and added that he wanted to express his 'unreserved apologies for any offence caused by his behaviour'.
Friends of the star claimed at the time the incident was a result of his heartbreak over the breakdown
