Sports - Panesar and Harmison in harmony help thrash hapless Pakistan

Panesar and Harmison in harmony help thrash hapless Pakistan

Monty Panesar and Steve Harmison were England's heroes as the hosts thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 120 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford. Panesar took 5-72 and Harmison 5-57 to bowl Pakistan out for 222 on day three.

Left-arm spinner Panesar bowled particularly well either side of lunch to remove a stack of top batsmen including Younis Khan for 62. Harmison then came back to wrap up the tail and allow England to head to Headingley with a 1-0 series lead.

Harmison had match figures of 11-76, while Panesar collected 8-93. No other England bowler took a wicket. Play started on time with dark clouds overhead and although it remained overcast there was no great swing on offer for Matthew Hoggard, who bowled the first over.

Steve Harmison, passed fit to play after an injury scare on Friday evening. was a more obvious danger. As on day one, he extracted some steepling bounce, and only had to wait until his second over to dislodge Kamran Akmal.

A rearing delivery struck his gloves and Geraint Jones took a looping catch tumbling in front of first slip. Jones was another player who had had to overcome a fitness test having fractured the tip of a finger while batting on Friday.

Harmison continued to be a threat as Andrew Strauss used some interesting field positions, with plenty of fielders on both sides of the wicket. And when Panesar was introduced just before the hour mark, he found some encouraging turn and bounce.

Imran Farhat, also in the wars with a broken finger, battled away to complete a brave innings of 34.

But then a forward push took the edge of his bat, ballooned off his thigh and was easily accepted by Ian Bell. At lunch Pakistan were hanging on grimly at 101-2 but it got much worse in the next session.

The first ball after the interval saw the end of Yousuf, dismissed by Panesar for the third time in four innings in this series. He missed with an attempted pushed drive, and dragged his back foot out of the crease.

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