Pakistan in trouble after Panesar’s double

England's Monty Panesar (R) successfully appeals for a Leg Before Wicket (LBW) decision against Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez. -Photo by AFP

ABU DHABI: Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar struck two crucial blows to put Pakistan in trouble in the second Test against England at Abu Dhabi Stadium here on Friday.
Panesar removed opener Mohammad Hafeez (22) and experienced Younis Khan (one) as Pakistan failed to come through unscathed in a potentially tricky second session, reaching 54-3 at tea on the second day, still trailing by 16 runs.
Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 12, with skipper Misbah-ul Haq also on 12 not out as Pakistan looked at sea against England’s spinners on a weary pitch which is keeping low besides taking turn.
Stuart Broad gave England a crucial 70-run lead with an unbeaten 58 which took England to 327 in the morning session.
As expected, Panesar came on to bowl as early as the sixth over and struck in his fourth when he spun across Hafeez’s bat to hit him on the knees, right in front of the stumps.
Panesar’s spin partner Graeme Swann made it 29-2 when he beat Umar’s forward push with a delivery that came straight with the arm. Umar made seven.
It became 36-3 when Panesar spun one across Younis’s bat and hit the off-stump, leaving Pakistan in a spot of bother before Ali-Misbah’s stand avoided any further loss.
Earlier, Broad added an invaluable 41 for the seventh wicket with Ian Bell (29) and 36 for the ninth wicket with James Anderson (13) to boost England after they resumed at 207-5, 50 runs behind on Pakistan’s first innings total.
Pakistan fared poorly in the field as Matt Prior was dropped on two by Junaid Khan in just the second over of the day, while Bell was let off on nine by Abdul Rehman off his own bowling.
But Prior’s lapse didn’t prove costly as a threatening Saeed Ajmal trapped him leg-before in his next over for three, to raise hopes of Pakistan restricting England’s lead.
Broad successfully attacked the bowling, hitting two boundaries each off Ajmal and then off Umar Gul – after Pakistan took the second new ball with the score at 250-6 – to take England past Pakistan’s total.
Gul struck in his next over when he trapped Bell leg-before but Broad and Swann (15) took the score to 291 before Rehman removed Swann and after lunch Hafeez dismissed Anderson and Panesar.
Broad hit six boundaries and a six off just 62-balls. Ajmal finished with 4-108, while Hafeez took three and Rehman two.