England spinner Monty Panesar relishes return to Test cricket after claiming wicket against Pakistan on day one

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."

Pakistan v England: Monty Panesar's comeback solid and reassuring but the hosts adapted well to his tactics

So, was Monty Mark II any different? Not significantly. His bowling on Wednesday, introduced as early as the ninth over - ahead of Swann - was still pretty mechanical. After early nerves, he settled into a reasonable rhythm, wheeling away on a persistent line and length, save the odd short ball, and got some response from the pitch. He was accurate.

Immediately after he grassed the caught-and-bowled chance from Mohammed Hafeez, he sent down a similar delivery which slid inside Hafeez’s bat as he played for a bit of non-existent turn. Panesar didn’t possess a reputable arm ball in his first incarnation with England, and, as he confessed on Wednesday night, this success was more by accident than design.

But he did produce one of the deliveries of the day: a beautifully flighted teaser, enticing the obdurate Misbah-ul-Haq into a drive which he edged as the ball spun sharply. Unfortunately the usually alert Jimmy Anderson was slow out of the blocks and didn’t lay a hand on it.

Maybe it was a sign, though. Perhaps it said that Monty Mark II will be more prepared to try something to get a wicket. In time we might see him vary his position on the crease, or scramble the seam in delivery to tempt and confuse.

It is a good time to be a spinner. Hawk-Eye and the Decision Review System have doubled the number of lbw verdicts they win and batsmen cannot just ‘kick’ away straight deliveries with impunity. But the penny is quickly dropping, and they are already evolving the way they play.

It was noticeable on Wednesday that Pakistan played everything with the bat, keeping pads out of the way, and avoiding the sweep. In future spinners will have to be cannier than just to plug away on the stumps and hope the batsman misses one. But as comebacks go, Panesar’s was solid and reassuring and there’s no shame in that.

Monty Panesar stakes claim for Test return with five wickets but England fail to convince against PCB XI

“I’ve bowled 29 overs today so, if they go for two spinners, I’m ready to play,” said Panesar, whose last Test was in 2009. “I feel I’m getting better all the time as a spinner.”

Picking Panesar alongside Swann for the opening Test is not a fait accompli. Panesar succeeded on what was essentially a sixth-day pitch (combining the last three-day game, two days of this match and the day off between).

What should concern ­England is Swann’s limited threat. He has taken only four wickets in 54 overs, a return that in the dark old days of the 1980s would have made him vulnerable to the chop.

“Graeme is the No 1 spinner and he’ll play,” Panesar said. “If they look to play a second spinner, then I’m ready. But we’ve also got very skilful bowlers in our pacemen so we have many permutations.”

That point was amplified by Chris Tremlett, who bowled well for his two wickets, outperforming Graham Onions despite being asked to bowl his opening spell into a minor sandstorm, whipped up by strong morning winds.

In the spirit of these three-day games, the PCB XI declared their innings, allowing Strauss and Jonathan Trott to bat out the final session. Given a chance to start against pace and not spin, Trott responded with an unbeaten 39 as they extended England’s lead to 151 going into the final day.

Scoreboard:

England 1st innings: 269-9 decl (A. Cook 133, M. Prior 46; Yasir Shah 5-75, Mohammad Talha 4-43)

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PCB XI 1st innings:

• Nasir Jamshed lbw b Onions 12

• Afaq Raheem lbw b Tremlett 17

• Mohammad Ayub c Prior b Panesar 33

• Usman Salahuddin c Prior b Tremlett 23

• Fawad Alam c Strauss b Panesar 7

• Haris Sohail lbw b Panesar 6

• Sarfraz Ahmed c Trott b Swann 0

• Yasir Shah c Swann b Panesar 9

• Mohammad Talha c Prior b Panesar 31

• Mohammad Khalil not out 1

Extras: (b3, lb6, w2) 11

Total: (for nine wkts) 200

Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Jamshed), 2-40 (Raheem), 3-78 (Salahuddin), 4-91 (Alam), 5-106 (Sohail), 6-106 (Sarfraz), 7-110 (Ayub), 8-119 (Shah), 9-173 (Talha)

Bowling: Onions 13-3-52-1 (w2), Tremlett 14-7-30-2, Swann 18-5-42-1, Panesar 29-12-57-5, Petersen 5-0-10-0

Overs: 79

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England 2nd innings:

Extras: (b4, nb2, w1) 7

Total: (for no loss) 82

Bowling: Talha 6-1-32-0 (nb2, w1), Khalil 5-2-12-0, Hasan 7-0-26-0, Shah 3-0-5-0, Ayub 1-0-3-0

Overs: 22

Monty Panesar makes Test case with five-wicket haul for England against PCB XI in Dubai

“I’ve bowled 29 overs today so, if they go for two spinners, I’m ready to play,” said Panesar, whose last Test was in 2009. “I feel I’m getting better all the time as a spinner.”

Picking Panesar alongside Swann for the opening Test is not a fait accompli. Panesar succeeded on what was essentially a sixth-day pitch (combining the last three-day game, two days of this match and the day off between).

What should concern ­England is Swann’s limited threat. He has taken only four wickets in 54 overs, a return that in the dark old days of the 1980s would have made him vulnerable to the chop.

“Graeme is the No 1 spinner and he’ll play,” Panesar said. “If they look to play a second spinner, then I’m ready. But we’ve also got very skilful bowlers in our pacemen so we have many permutations.”

That point was amplified by Chris Tremlett, who bowled well for his two wickets, outperforming Graham Onions despite being asked to bowl his opening spell into a minor sandstorm, whipped up by strong morning winds.

In the spirit of these three-day games, the PCB XI declared their innings, allowing Strauss and Jonathan Trott to bat out the final session. Given a chance to start against pace and not spin, Trott responded with an unbeaten 39 as they extended England’s lead to 151 going into the final day.

Scoreboard:

England 1st innings: 269-9 decl (A. Cook 133, M. Prior 46; Yasir Shah 5-75, Mohammad Talha 4-43)

----

PCB XI 1st innings:

• Nasir Jamshed lbw b Onions 12

• Afaq Raheem lbw b Tremlett 17

• Mohammad Ayub c Prior b Panesar 33

• Usman Salahuddin c Prior b Tremlett 23

• Fawad Alam c Strauss b Panesar 7

• Haris Sohail lbw b Panesar 6

• Sarfraz Ahmed c Trott b Swann 0

• Yasir Shah c Swann b Panesar 9

• Mohammad Talha c Prior b Panesar 31

• Mohammad Khalil not out 1

Extras: (b3, lb6, w2) 11

Total: (for nine wkts) 200

Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Jamshed), 2-40 (Raheem), 3-78 (Salahuddin), 4-91 (Alam), 5-106 (Sohail), 6-106 (Sarfraz), 7-110 (Ayub), 8-119 (Shah), 9-173 (Talha)

Bowling: Onions 13-3-52-1 (w2), Tremlett 14-7-30-2, Swann 18-5-42-1, Panesar 29-12-57-5, Petersen 5-0-10-0

Overs: 79

----

England 2nd innings:

Extras: (b4, nb2, w1) 7

Total: (for no loss) 82

Bowling: Talha 6-1-32-0 (nb2, w1), Khalil 5-2-12-0, Hasan 7-0-26-0, Shah 3-0-5-0, Ayub 1-0-3-0

Overs: 22

Monty Panesar ready for England call after starring role in warm up against Pakistan Cricket Board XI

''So if they want to play two spinners, I'm ready to play.''

Panesar cites his move from Northants to Sussex two years ago, and his experience as an overseas player in South Africa and Australia, as vital staging posts in his continued development and perhaps his rehabilitation as a Test bowler.

''I'm hungry to play Test cricket – and if or when the opportunity presents itself I've got to be ready,'' he said.

''I want to be part of this successful England team.

''I've been bowling well at Sussex and also had the responsibility of being an overseas player at Randwick Petersham in Sydney and also Highveld Lions.

''That extra responsibility develops you as a person and also helps your game as well.''

Panesar helped England to a 69-run first-innings lead on the second day of three at the GCA ground, before Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott bolstered the advantage by another 82 without loss at stumps.

The slow left-armer added: ''My belief is a lot stronger now. I think going overseas, to Sydney, helps with your self-belief.

''My confidence has grown, and that definitely helps your bowling.

''I've always stayed hungry to play Test cricket and always worked hard. That's why I moved to Sussex, to better my game and take on a major responsibility – leading the bowling attack.''

The 29-year-old, who was part of England's winning squad in last winter's Ashes but played only in the tour match against Australia A in Hobart, sees his near 30-month absence from Test cricket as an important learning curve rather than a fallow period.

''It's been a good period for me, in that I had to come out of my comfort zone,'' he said.

''Sometimes you've got to take a couple of steps back to go forward.

''I just said to myself: 'I've got to get in there, work hard and get my hands dirty'.''

As for his reacquaintance with Swann as a spin partner, that is a prospect he relishes.

''It's really exciting to have two spinners bowling in tandem, something Swanny and I did at Northants – and we're very comfortable bowling with each other and helping each other out,'' he added.

England set to turn to Monty Panesar as they consider playing an extra spinner against Pakistan

The performance of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann over the next couple of days against the PCB XI here will inevitably shape the final decision but Graham Gooch, the batting coach, admitted that the conditions for the warm-up match have given the management an important glimpse of what to expect in the first Test against Pakistan, which starts on Jan 17.

That would leave the option of dropping a batsman for Panesar and selecting another seamer, either Chris Tremlett or Graham Onions, to take the place of the injured Tim Bresnan.

Matt Prior would bat at six and Eoin Morgan, who has failed in all three innings on tour, would be the batsman to be sacrificed.

Flower and Strauss are cautious and loyal to the players who have served them well. Altering the team’s shape would be a bold step, particularly at the start of a series, but playing here is an unknown quantity for England and they may have to adapt.

Pakistan played three spinners against Sri Lanka in October, obviously playing to their strengths, and 19 of the 31 wickets to fall in that Test went to slow bowling.

England’s fast-bowling attack is the most respected in world cricket but in Panesar they have a bowler with a respectable Test average of 30 against Pakistan and a match-winning record during his career.