England spinner Monty Panesar is looking forward to reviving his career at the county where it all started after being included in Northamptonshires squad for the new season. The 33-year-old spinner was released by Essex at the end of last season after struggling for form, later revealing an inability to settle due to mental health issues had been the cause of his cricketing downfall.However, he has spent the winter recovering from shoulder surgery with the help of Northants physio and has secured independent financial support to cover his wages in order to play at the County Ground, where he spent eight years between 2001 and 2009 before leaving for Sussex. Northants head coach David Ripley praised Panesar for his hard work this winter Head coach David Ripley has been impressed with Panesars attitude since he started training with the county and is hopeful he will have an impact this season.Hes been training with us since January and put a good shift in, working hard with our strength and conditioning team, he told Sky Sports News HQ. The goal was to get to this stage and weve been taking our time, but the good news is that Monty is well, hes got a sparkle in his eye and we will see where we go from here in terms of how much cricket he will play. Panesar has not played for England since the 5-0 defeat to Australia in 2014 Panesar played 50 Tests for England after making his debut against India in 2006 - taking 167 wickets at an average of 34.17 - but he has not featured in the England side since the 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2013/14.He is thrilled to be back at the County Ground, adding: Getting a chance to play at Northants, where I first started to play my cricket, its nice to be back home. Im really looking forward to it. Ive done a lot of hard work and in the next few weeks I think Ill be ready to go. Also See: County ins and outs ECB confirms coin toss change Hampshire first up for Yorkshire Live cricket on Sky Air Force 1 Ultra Flyknit 2.0 . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Air Force Ones Nz .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. http://www.airforce1salenz.com/air-force-1-high-top-nz.html . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Air Force 1 Low Mens Sale . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Air Force 1 Low Mens Nz . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. NORMAN, Okla. -- Quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Dede Westbrook have garnered most of the attention for No. 7 Oklahoma this season, yet the offensive line and the running game carried the load in the 56-28 win at West Virginia that gives the Sooners a chance to clinch the conference title outright with a win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 3.The Sooners rushed for 313 yards in cold, wet weather and controlled the clock for nearly 40 minutes against the Mountaineers. Left tackle Orlando Brown, left guard Ben Powers, center Erick Wren, right guard Dru Samia and right tackle Bobby Evans were the starters, and reserve lineman Jonathan Alvarez and fullback Dimitri Flowers were singled out by coach Bob Stoops as having played well.Stoops said the offensive line, including Flowers, was a collective offensive MVP against the Mountaineers. He said West Virginia threw a lot of looks at the offensive line, but his unit consistently made the right blocks.Those guys did a great job sifting it out, Stoops said. They (West Virginia) have their plays where its one yard, two yard, catch you in the backfield a time or two, but overall, they (the line) really worked through it really well.Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12) has dominated on the ground for much of the season. The Sooners average 228.1 yards rushing per game, a total that would be the schools second-best total since 1991 if it holds up. In conference play, those rushing numbers jump to a league-best 246.8 yards per ggame.dddddddddddd The ground game has balanced the passing game, which ranks first in efficiency and second in yards per game in Big 12 play.Brown is the star of the unit. His father, Orlando Sr., played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. The younger Brown, a 6-foot-8, 340-pound sophomore, projects to be an early-round pick when he comes out.Orlando, every week has had a winning grade if not a great grade, and physical, great protecting, Stoops said. Hes doing all the things you want him to do. But you know, what I appreciate about him more than anything is his intensity and leadership.Then, of course, there are the two running backs. Joe Mixon has rushed for 1,084 yards in 10 games and averages 6.9 yards per carry. Samaje Perine has pounded out 735 yards in eight games and has 10 rushing touchdowns.Against West Virginia, Perine ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries and Mixon added 147 yards and a score on 24 attempts.Youve got to give Samaje and Joe some great credit, Stoops said. There are some guys that come up to get them, and they can run through a tackle, stiff arm a guy, slide away from a guy. They get a lot of yards after theyre hit as well.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP .---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '