Former Essex and England spinner Monty Panesar insists he has conquered his demons and remains focused on a return to first-class cricket despite being without a club since 2016.

Panesar opened up on the off-field struggles he has experienced in recent years in an interview with the Daily Mail, including his shock at being diagnosed with “paranoia/schizophrenia”.

The left armer sought out the counsel of, among others, former England captain Mike Brearley, who is a qualified psychotherapist, to address his mental health.

He said: “My parents became worried.

“They wanted me to see someone. I had always thought strong people couldn’t have a problem.

“I was always the guy who would win games, who had everything in order.

“My cricket had always gone the way I had planned it, but suddenly things started going in a direction I hadn’t experienced since childhood.

“It had all been up, up, up but this was new territory mentally.

“It was a guy called Peter Gilmore who said I was suffering from paranoia/schizophrenia and that shocked me massively.

“Mike Brearley told me to be careful about the things I was saying to myself.

“Some experts thought I’d never get better but I knew I could fight it, come through it.”

Following his release from Sussex in 2013, which came after he urinated on a nightclub bouncer, Panesar’s depression started to spiral and contributed towards an unhappy stint at Essex.

He had a brief spell at Northamptonshire, where he started his career and first came to national attention.

But Panesar has been unable to persuade a county to sign him since leaving Wantage Road.

However, Panesar, 37, who took 167 wickets in 50 Tests for England and became something of a cult figure because of his jubilant celebrations and at times comical fielding, is adamant he retains the hunger to play for a county despite his advancing years.

He added: “I love the game. I’m not a bad egg in the dressing room, I’m actually a nice guy.

“I want people to remember the good Monty, but it takes a while to eradicate bad memories.

“It’s like I’m a fireball and people are worried that if they get too close to me they’ll get burnt.

“I’m mentally and physically 100 per cent back to my best and I’ve been good for the last two years.

“I don’t need medication. I don’t drink. I don’t have good and bad days. All of those things have gone.

“There was a moment I was at Northampton about 18 months ago and I looked around and thought, ‘Wow, those paranoid thoughts are not there anymore’.

“I knew then Monty was back. I’m going to be a cricketer again. I’m going to do it.”