Broad shows the way but England fail to catch on

Venom from the seamers and first-day turn from the spinners see Pakistan offering chances which tourists' fielders struggle to hold

The pick of England's bowlers, Stuart Broad, celebrates after trapping Adnan Akmal lbw (AFP/Getty Images)

Barely an hour had passed in the second Test yesterday when all predictions were radically altered. The informed, or indeed rank ignorant, guesswork which precedes all Test matches had this one down as a high-scoring draw with possibly two double hundreds and a revision of career options for some of the bowlers after spending time in rehab.

Then with his first ball in Test cricket for 30 months, Monty Panesar turned one into the pads of the Pakistan opener, Taufeeq Umar. Those spectators who had mounted an expedition out into the desert to watch proceedings must have been jolted out of their early torpor. The ball was spinning on the first day of a Test match, not simply before lunch but hardly after breakfast.

Not long afterwards England had dismissed the Pakistan openers, both with spin, and all manner of unlikely mayhem beckoned. It failed quite to come to that. Later in the day, England's bowlers had plenty of reasons to seek rehab all right, but it was not the flatness of the pitch which was giving them reason.

The tourists spurned four catches, three of them crucial, one of them extremely difficult, all the sort that must be taken by sides aiming to win Test matches hereabouts. That it was insufficient to shift the changed perception did not lessen the culpability.

By the close of the day this match was still heading for a positive result. If England, despite their lapses, revitalised their chances of levelling the series at 1-1, Pakistan, diligently guided by their increasingly impressive captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, had not completely squandered their opportunity of making it 2-0, bearing in mind what their bowlers might do on this surface.

England's best bowler, as he had been last week in Dubai, was Stuart Broad. He was sharp with the new ball, conjured a venomous spell after lunch and ran in hard with the second new ball in the evening. Had the fielders done their job, both the spinners, Panesar and Graeme Swann, would have enjoyed better returns, though neither found a sustained good length.

It seemed odd that Panesar, having not played a Test match since July 2009, should bowl 15 more overs in the day than Swann, who until last week was the world's No 1 spinner. Perhaps it was the preponderance of right handers in Pakistan's order. However, Swann, as you might expect, still managed to conjure up three wickets to Panesar's one.

Panesar might have had the most significant wicket. When Misbah was on 30, he drove a turning ball which he edged to Jimmy Anderson at first slip. Anderson is still learning the slipper's craft and instead of moving like a racing car with hands the size of a JCB, he moved like a JCB.

Misbah finished the day on 83 and had begun to play some shots. He hit five fours in all – none before he had made 42 – and four sixes, all off Panesar. It was precisely what Pakistan required.

Panesar's participation in the match was a surprise in more ways than one. Overnight it seemed that England had settled on a bowling attack of three seamers and a spinner, meaning a recall for Steve Finn.

He was to replace Chris Tremlett, whose injured back forced him to fly home yesterday. A replacement had not been named last night. On arriving at the Sheikh Zayed ground yesterday, England took one look at the surface and decided to do something they had not done for more than eight years: play a four-man attack with two seamers and two spinners.

Panesar was in action by the 10th over of the match and by the 23rd had bowled Mohammad Hafeez, his first Test wicket since dismissing Ricky Ponting at Cardiff in the first Ashes Test of 2009. That it came the ball after he dropped a return catch made it doubly pleasing. Swann had already removed Taufeeq Umar by then, who was lulled into leaving a ball that did not turn and crashed into his off stump.

When Broad struck twice after lunch, bowling both Azhar Ali and Younus Khan with balls that came back, England were in a wonderful position with Pakistan on 103 for four. It was then that their game needed to be at its keenest.

Misbah was put down when they had reached 167 as he and Asad Shafiq dug in on a surface from which the early moisture had disappeared. Shafiq gave a sharp chance to Alastair Cook at short leg soon after he had reached 50, the ball just carrying to the fielder's right. Close, but it is on such closeness that Test series can be decided.

Shafiq was leg-before trying to sweep Swann and his review of the decision failed. There was time for Adnan Akmal to be dropped by Andrew Strauss at first slip in the first over with the second new ball.

It was a chance that Strauss should have pouched comfortably and if questions are being asked about his batting form they can be posed quite as legitimately about his fielding. Akmal flashed at a wide one from Anderson and the catch carried at chest height.

Again, England were spared greater punishment when Akmal was leg-before to another ball from Broad that came back. Misbah, sensing that the tail was at least beginning, opened his shoulders and, having reached 43 in 138 balls, he added his next 40 from 30 balls.

Swann had his third wicket just before the close when he bowled the left- hander Abdur Rehman with a beauty that went past the bat and clipped off stump. Rehman was the fifth batsman to be bowled during the day, suggesting either dodgy eyesight or something in the pitch. But the scorecard showed that nobody had been caught. It is a shortcoming that England have to overcome and in sparing Misbah they were already being made to pay more than they would have liked.

Second test: Scoreboard

Abu Dhabi (First day of five): Pakistan have scored 256 for 7 wickets against England

Pakistan won toss

PAKISTAN — First Innings

Mohammad Hafeez b Panesar: 31

77 balls 0 sixes 4 fours

Taufeeq Umar b Swann: 16

48 balls 0 sixes 2 fours

Azhar Ali b Broad: 24

68 balls 0 sixes 1 fours

Younus Khan b Broad: 24

38 balls 0 sixes 4 fours

* Misbah-ul-Haq not out: 83

168 balls 4 sixes 5 fours

Asad Shafiq lbw b Swann: 58

126 balls 1 sixes 7 fours

†Adnan Akmal lbw b Broad: 9

26 balls 0 sixes 2 fours

Abdur Rehman b Swann: 0

7 balls 0 sixes 0 fours

Saeed Ajmal not out: 0

8 balls 0 sixes 0 fours

Extras (b8 lb1 nb2): 11

Total (for 7, 94 overs): 256

Fall: 1-51, 2-61, 3-98, 4-103, 5-203, 6-216, 7-243.

To Bat: Umar Gul, Junaid Khan.

England Bowling Spells: J M Anderson: 18-5-45-0 (1nb) (6-1-18-0; 6-2-7-0; 6-2-20-0), S C J Broad: 23-3-47-3 (1nb) (4-1-4-0; 10-2-20-2; 3-0-4-0; 6-0-19-1), M S Panesar: 33-9-91-1 (21-5-63-1; 11-4-15-0; 1-0-13-0), G P Swann: 18-2-52-3 (7-0-16-1; 2-1-7-0; 4-0-18-0; 4-0-11-1; 1-1-0-1), I J L Trott: 2-0-12-0 (2-0-12-0) (one spell)

England: *A J Strauss, A N Cook, I J L Trott, K P Pietersen, I R Bell, E J G Morgan, †M J Prior, S C J Broad, J M Anderson, G P Swann, M S Panesar.

Progress: Day One: Pakistan 50 in 15 overs, Lunch: 73-2 in 31 overs (Azhar Ali 13, Younis Khan 6). 100 in 37.6 overs, 150 in 56.4 overs. Tea: 177-4 in 65 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 32, Asad Shafiq 39),

Asad Shafiq 50 off 103 balls (6 fours, 1 six), 200 in 76.6 overs,

Misbah-ul-Haq 50 off 142 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes), 250 in 93.2 overs, Close: 256-7 in 94 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 83, Saeed Ajmal 0).

Umpires: S J Davis (Aus) & B N J Oxenford (Aus)

3rd Umpire: B F Bowden (NZ)

Match Referee: Ahsan Raza (Pak).

Facts in figures

Dropped catches could cost England

1 Monty Panesar

He's never had the safest pair of hands but this was a difficult caught-and-bowled chance as Mohammad Hafeez drove the ball hard and low to the left of a diving Panesar, who failed to cling on. No harm done though: he bowled Hafeez next ball. Cost 0 runs

2 Jimmy Anderson

Just before tea, Anderson was fielding at first slip to Panesar, who induced an outside edge from Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Anderson, diving to his right, put down a very catchable chance which just highlighted how good Paul Collingwood was in the position. Misbah was 30 not out at the time and was still unbeaten on 83 at stumps. Cost 53 runs

3 Alastair Cook

Probably the toughest of the lot. Asad Shafiq, on 53, got an inside edge on to his pad off Graeme Swann. Cook, at short leg, couldn't get his fingers under the ball which barely carried. Dismissed by Swann five runs later for 58. Cost 5 runs

4 Andrew Strauss

The second delivery with the second new ball and a widish Anderson away-swinger is chased by Pakistan keeper Adnan Akmal. He slashes the ball to first slip where the England captain fails to hold another good chance. Was on 0 at the time but only went on to make 9. Cost 9 runs