Monty Panesar: I'm still hurting from the loss

Monty Panesar's comeback after three years in the wilderness almost ended on a triumphant note, but his Pakistan counterpart Abdul Rahman overshadowed him to leave the English left-arm spinner's team on the losing side in the second Test here. Panesar, who last played in the 2009 Ashes series, bowled a marathon spell of 33 tight overs for one wicket and was bang on with a six-wicket haul in the second innings which, however, went in vain — and how! "I'm still hurting from the loss. It would be nice to get some wickets but I would rather have a none-for and see England win. I want my performances to contribute to England winning and be part of a successful England team," he said as the team left for Dubai to take on Pakistan in the third Test, starting Friday. Both teams are scheduled for practice sessions at the ICC Global Academy in Dubai today. "We played good cricket throughout the Test but it was just the last innings where they performed really well. We're hurting and we're determined to come back in the next Test," said Panesar. After being ignored in the first Test which was to help the slow bowlers, Panesar was thrust into the playing XI in Abu Dhabi — which was to be a batsman-friendly strip but he struck a good partnership with Graeme Swann which has emerged as a positive for the English team. Pleased "I was pleased with my performance in the second innings. Maybe I let the team down in the first innings, where I didn't take wickets at a quick enough rate and Swanny kind of carried me, helping me out and made me feel part of the team and it's nice to bowl with him and bowl in tandem," Panesar said. "Playing in the subcontinent conditions is exciting. We have Tests in Sri Lanka and India coming up as well. The opportunity to play two spinners is exciting for me and I enjoy playing under the leadership of Straussy [Andrew Strauss] and Andy [Flower, coach]. In Oz where I was in the squad but didn't play as much, I still felt very much part of the Ashes experience. "As a team we have to adapt to different changes, but as a squad stay tight, enjoy the challenges that are going to come in 2012 and beyond," said Panesar, who could be in the thick of action in the third Test. Commenting on the mood in the team after the series loss, Panesar said, "The boys are still upbeat and looking forward to the third Test. They want to prove we can do well here and we're determined to put on a good show in the third Test."