Monty Panesar back in the wickets on Test return

By DAVID CLOUGH
Published on Thursday 26 January 2012 02:47

IT HAS been a long road from the valleys to the desert, but Monty Panesar kept the faith and claimed just reward with his 40th Test cap for England yesterday.

There was a wicket, too, albeit at the second time of asking, in 33 overs of toil for the 29-year-old on day one of the second Test at the Zayed Stadium.

Panesar could not stop Pakistan reaching 256 for seven by stumps, while Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann did most of the damage with the ball, sharing the other six wickets between them.

But, had James Anderson clung on to a sharp catch at slip off the slow left-armer, Misbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 83 would have been a mere 30.

That miss, the most costly of four by England, encapsulated a day which might have been so much better for the tourists as they seek to battle back in this second match of three after their hammering in Dubai last week.

But none of that context could detract from what it all meant to Panesar, back in the Test fold for the first time since July 2009 – when he played such a heroic role with bat rather than ball to salvage a hugely significant last-ditch Ashes draw in Cardiff.

On a pitch which favoured spin over seam, as expected here, they called on him again – and Panesar was delighted, if a little tense, after learning of his involvement just a few minutes before the toss.

“I only found out this morning. I was really excited, and the nervous energy started to build up,” he said. “I was a little bit nervous, making my second debut after being out of the team for such a long time.”

The anticipation of impending fulfilment would have been too much, had he been told 24 hours earlier. “I might have been awake all night, trying to practise my action in front of the mirror – so it avoided me doing that,” added Panesar.

“When you’re out of the team you can get frustrated. There are times when self doubt does creep in and you think: ‘Is it ever going to happen?’ You’re not human if you don’t get that when you’re out of the England team.

Panesar did not sweat too long either for that first wicket back. But he did have to keep his cool, having dropped a return chance before clean bowling Mohammad Hafeez with his very next delivery.

“I was thinking to myself: ‘Maybe I need to do a bit more caught-and-bowled practice,’” he said. “I should have taken it. But then the next ball, I think I meant to do that – where you hit the leather, and it skids on.”

Panesar has a familiar ally to bowl with, his old Northamptonshire team-mate Swann having made such a name for himself for England.

“I was delighted to bowl in tandem with my spin twin, Swanny,” he said. “I’m enjoying that – ball spinning away, ball turning in creates quite a lot of pressure among different batsmen – and we help each other. It can be very effective. We see each other as partners.”

But what of that moment when Misbah’s edge slipped through Anderson’s grasp?

Panesar is mature enough these days to know that top players simply cannot allow such setbacks to get to them.

“These kind of things happen,” he said.

“He’s obviously batted well, and you’ve just got to put these things behind you and not let it affect you.”

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