Monty in running for BBC award

He wanted to be the next Wasim Akram and bounce batsmen but destiny had other plans and Monty Panesar ended up being a spinner, who metamorphosed into a cult figure and now finds himself as the frontrunner for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

''It is like when I first started playing cricket, I wanted to be like Wasim Akram - I wanted to be a fast bowler and bowl bouncers. But again I think it was destiny - maybe I was meant to be a spin bowler,'' the mild-mannered Monty told the Daily Mirror.

Being hailed as the new Ashes hope for an injury depleted England side, Monty says all the appreciation -- especially from former greats like Ian Botham -- flatter him but his learning process in international cricket had only just begun.

''It is flattering to hear those things from people who know everything about cricket,'' he said.

''But I still have got a lot to learn. I am working on my version of the doosra -- a ball which turns the other way -- but we will just have to see what happens with it. As I gradually add things, it is one of my ambitions to be the best. It would be nice once day to be recognised as that,'' the shy left-armer added.

The first Sikh to play for England and the hero of England's recent Test triumphs knows he is in the reckoning for the BBC award and admits that he does have an acceptance speech ready in case he wins.

''You will have to see on the television. Assuming I win,'' he told The Times.

He, however, still can't understand the reason for all the attention he has been getting.

''I don't know why I seem to be so popular. I certainly didn't expect it to happen when I first came to play cricket. When I was younger, I just wanted to play cricket for England. Maybe that is my destiny. Not in a religious sense, it is general belief about how things happen,'' he says in a perplexed manner.

The spinner says even his first Test victim, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, was destiny's work as he never dreamt of getting such a high profile wicket on his debut.

''I didn't expect to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for my first Test wicket so I put things like that down to destiny,'' he said.