Ebbs and Flows in the Desert

Misbah-ul-haq made 83 not out

England and Pakistan have fought over the first day of the 2nd Test at Abu Dahbi and finished where they started.

England were forced into the unconventional change of bringing Monty Panesar back into the side because of the back injury to Chris Tremlet but may have made it anyway, given the nature of the wicket and the suggestion it will spin.

In any event, Panesar was bowling the tenth over after a tight start from Jim Anderson and Stuart Broad. It was a provocative move from Andrew Strauss but as his side is behind in the series, chances have to be taken. Graeme Swann came on soon after, with England's all spin attack being the first time in three years opposition batsmen have faced two England slow men. Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar gave their side a bright start and added 53 for the first wicket before Swan made the first breakthough.

It was a day for straight bowling with all seven wickets being bowled or lbw. At 4-103, after two Stuart Broad strikes, Pakistan were in significant trouble until Misbah and Asad Shafiq combined to add a neat 100. By tea, Pakistan's typical steady approach had them back on track, slowly making their way to 177 with no further wickets falling. Misbah, with his usual conservative approach to batting, was giving nothing away, despite starting his innings with two huge sixes off Panesar. Only 27 were added in the hour after tea, during which the aggressive Shafiq was given out on review, slogging across the line to Swann just before the second new ball. Broad removed Adnan Akmal with the second new ball and then Rehman scored a duck in in a stand of 27 with Misbah before Swann slipped one past his bat onto off stump in the second last over. Misbah's response wasn't one that would be expected from him. Just as he had done at the start of his innings, he lifted Panesar over the boundary twice in the last over the day.

Pakistan, with three spinners and the pace of Umar Gul and Junaid Khan have the attack to cause England problems so another fifty from Pakistan could be too many for Strauss' shell-shocked batting line-up.