Monty Panesar ripped through Pakistan's top order to reduce the hosts to 4 for 125 in their second innings at the close of the third day of the second Test, 55 runs ahead of England in an interestingly poised match.
Left-arm spinner Panesar, playing his first Test since 2009, dispatched opener Mohammad Hafeez (22), captain Misbah-ul-Haq (12) and Younus Khan (1) to end the day with 3 for 44 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Panesar's exploits left Pakistan struggling on 4 for 54 with England looking well-placed to avenge its 10-wicket defeat in the series opener last week.
However, batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali dug in, roared on by the team's passionate support as they put on an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 71.
"I think Monty bowled really well - the different angle has been important with their right-handed batsmen because he can trap them on the crease and get the lbws and bowled," team-mate Stuart Broad said.
"He was nervous the first day, but today he grew and grew and I think he's going to be important holding them tomorrow and then attacking later on.
"We're two (wickets) from their tail and we know with the new ball we can mop them up if we need to."
Security problems have forced Pakistan to play home matches in the Gulf, but with more than a million Pakistanis living in the United Arab Emirates the Abu Dhabi crowd was firmly behind Misbah's men.
Pakistan's raucous supporters filled the stands, the attendance swelling to an estimated 14,000 after midday prayers.
Every run brought exuberant cheers as England's bowling menace waned as the session end drew near.
Shafiq (35) and Ali (46) upped Pakistan's run rate from just 73 in the first 40 overs of the innings to 52 from the final 21 overs.
Their only real scare was when Kevin Pietersen fluffed a run-out opportunity, missing the stumps with Shafiq flailing in no-man's land as Pakistan attempted a quick single.
"We are very confident, we are fighting back into this game," Ali said.
"We lost four wickets, but we both were determined - we didn't want to give up.
"There was support for both teams - there were a lot of Pakistanis and there is English support as well, so it was a fantastic crowd."
When asked what sort of target Pakistan needed to set England, Ali said: "150 would be very good and above that would be excellent."
Earlier, Broad's unbeaten 58 helped England achieve a 70-run first innings lead.
His knock was vital after Matt Prior and Ian Bell both disappointed with the bat, England losing its final five wickets for 120.
For Pakistan, all-rounder Hafeez finished with 3 for 54 while Saeed Ajmal ended with 4 for 108.
Reuters
Tags: sport, cricket, united-arab-emirates, united-kingdom, england First posted January 28, 2012 00:22:46