Monty Panesar: Essex spinner unavailable with 'issues'

Monty Panesar won 50 Test caps for England

Monty Panesar is unavailable for selection because of off-field "issues", says Essex head coach Paul Grayson.

The 33-year-old spinner has not played a first-team match since April.

"He's got a few issues he needs to sort out himself before he's available," Grayson told BBC Essex.

"We're trying to help Monty along with the Professional Cricketers' Association to get him back to playing some cricket."

He added: "It's just a week-by-week thing and we'll see where we're at in two or three weeks with him."

Panesar, who has 50 Test caps and said in April that he still had England ambitions, has featured in three second-team games for Essex since his last Championship game.

He joined Essex in 2013, having been released by former club Sussex after urinating on a nightclub bouncer in Brighton.

Panesar was dropped before a County Championship game with Glamorgan last year for a "timekeeping" error, and Grayson says Essex have been working hard with Panesar to help him.

"It's not through a lack of trying on our behalf. He's been managed well by us, at some stage the truth will come out," he said.

"Anyone that plays county cricket, particularly those that play at Essex, we care about them and want to be getting them to play at the best of their ability.

"It's a delicate situation at the moment, we're trying to keep it in house and help Monty the best way we can."