Panesar looked nervous, perhaps sensing the onus was on him to bowl well on a dry pitch that turned in the first hour of the day.
When he dropped a catch off his own bowling his frustration was channelled into his next delivery which he fired in to bowl Mohammad Hafeez. It was a sign of the maturity Panesar has developed since his move to Sussex and spell playing grade cricket in Sydney before Christmas.
"When you're out of the England team you wouldn't be human if you didn't wonder if it was ever going to happen again, but these things do creep in and you do need good people around you to help you get through it," he said.
"There were times when self doubt crept in, and you wonder is it ever going to happen, and that is where people like Mark Robinson (Sussex coach) and Mushy (Mushtaq Ahmed, England spin bowling coach) have been great in protecting my self belief."
Pakistan batsman Taufeeq Umar admitted it was England’s day and the team’s coach, Mohsin Khan, had strong words for his side, particularly young batsman Asad Shafiq, who threw his wicket away on 58.
"Any player, whether it's a senior player or a young player, if somebody's playing for their country they should understand the responsibilities of playing for the team," Khan said.
"I had a go at him - in a loving way, no doubt - but he's been told very seriously this is not the way to get out, especially when the team is struggling to get a better score."