MONTY PANESAR, the surprise hero of England’s cricket win against Pakistan this summer, is to cap his remarkable six months as an international player by signing a deal to write his autobiography.

More than 15 British publishers have shown interest in Panesar, who has a massive following among England fans since his spin bowling achievements. The book deal, to be concluded in the next few days, is expected to be worth about £250,000.

Panesar, who was born in Luton in 1982 and now plays for Northamptonshire, is noted not just for his bowling prowess but for a strong personality and for wearing his turban on the pitch. His grandparents still live in India, where he made his Test debut for England in February.

News of the book deal highlights a growing commercial interest in cricket by publishers and others. The winning of the Ashes last summer, the dramatic rise of “20:20” cricket and the defeat of Pakistan this summer have all helped to make the game popular again.

At the same time publishers are becoming disillusioned with football. In anticipation of England doing well in the World Cup, several footballers concluded deals culminating in a record-breaking five-book contract, said to be worth £5m, for Wayne Rooney’s story.

But sales of these books may be as mediocre as England’s performance in Germany. The first volume of Rooney’s life has sold just 13,700 copies in three weeks. Not surprising perhaps, given that its most revealing fact is that his house “has six bedrooms and a big kitchen, which is very modern and greyish”.

By contrast, cricketers are seen as retaining a Boy’s Own appeal, said one sports agent.

“I’m not buying any footballers’ books now,” said Roddy Bloomfield, sports books editor at Hodder & Stoughton. “Managers are more interesting or troubled players like Gazza. You need characters and real stories to sell sports books and this is what more cricketers now provide.”

Bloomfield published the autobiography of Andrew “Freddy” Flintoff last autumn after the Ashes success. Its hardback sales alone reached 250,000. He also brought out the memoirs of Michael Vaughan, captain of the victorious England team, and of the veteran cricket commentator Ritchie Benaud. Both sold about 100,000 copies.

Next week the publisher Ebury brings out memoirs of the England and Hampshire cricketer Kevin Pietersen, another larger-than-life character. The book will reveal that Pietersen, born and bred in South Africa, left the country six years ago because he felt he was being discriminated against by the quota system.

Meanwhile two books are coming out soon about the sport’s language, amid claims of some underhand play. Lawrence Booth, author of Penguin’s Arm Ball to Zooter, has been accused by the authors of Faber & Faber’s The Cricket Lexicon of writing “the same book. Lawrence had the whole canvas to write about so what he’s done is ungentlemanly,” said David Woodhouse, the Lexicon’s co-author.

Booth said: “My book is more of a lighthearted encyclopedia of cricket’s history. My guess is they will be two very different books.”

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