The former England spinner Monty Panesar is one of four players to have been released by Essex. The 33-year-old joins Greg Smith, Saf Imtiaz, and Matt Salisbury in leaving the County Ground.
Panesar took his 700th first-class wicket earlier this season but his release represents another challenge. Panesar joined Essex in 2013, originally on loan, before completing a permanent move at the end of that season.
Once England’s first-choice spinner – he has 167 wickets in 50 Tests – he ran into personal troubles in 2013, which included a fine of £90 for urinating on a bouncer outside a nightclub while drunk – an incident which led to his departure from Sussex.
He must now look for what would be a fourth county – he started his career with Northamptonshire – and England’s selection of Zafar Ansari for the tour of the UAE shows how far down the pecking order he has fallen.
He made the last of his Test appearances on the ill-fated Ashes Tour of 2013, taking a solitary wicket, and since then has seen Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Ansari overtake him in England’s thoughts.
Smith joined Essex in 2011 and played 36 first-class matches, which included a career-best 177 away against Gloucestershire in 2013, while Imtiaz and Salisbury were regarded as second XI players.