Monty Panesar insists he is focused on his cricket with Essex rather than looking ahead to a possible England recall.
The left-arm spinner has joined the LV County Championship Division Two side on loan for the remainder of the season after he was allowed to leave Sussex following a police fine for his drunken behaviour outside a Brighton nightclub on August 5.
He was handed a debut against his first county Northamptonshire today and told Sky Sports News: ''It's a great opportunity for me to get a handful of games and something I'm obviously excited about.
''I'd probably prefer it to be another opposition, rather than my old club, but it's just a chance to get some bowling under my belt and hopefully make a positive impact for Essex.''
Panesar's off-field troubles come in the wake of his wife, Gursharan Rattan, reportedly filing for divorce, and have also seen him overlooked by England in favour of Lancashire's Simon Kerrigan for the conclusion of the Ashes series at the Kia Oval this week.
The second spinning berth is still up for grabs for the winter's return series Down Under and Panesar said in a statement after signing for Essex: ''I am determined to do whatever it takes to gain selection for England this winter. I want to become the best I can be.''
But he said today: ''That's very much in the back of my mind, more importantly I've got to focus on putting some good performances in for Essex.
''If I can string some strong performances together, that hopefully can help me get selection for the Ashes.
''But I'm not thinking too far ahead, to be honest, I just want to get back, enjoy my cricket, put a smile back on my face and have a good time.
''We've got a chance of getting promoted, got a game in hand on the opposition, so there's a lot of cricket to be played.''
Panesar was unwilling to discuss the events leading to his release from Sussex, who will allow him to leave on a permanent basis come the end of the season.
''Obviously I apologise for my behaviour the last couple of weeks,'' he said.
''(Sussex) are in a position (to do) whatever they feel comfortable with, I've just been very lucky that Essex have taken an interest.
''That's something that I can't comment about, something we've dealt with together. It was an internal matter so we've kept it that way and we move on from it.''
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