England spinner Monty Panesar was excited after making his return to Test cricket against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Panesar (1-91) put in a marathon effort to bowl 33 overs as Pakistan reached 283-7 at stumps on day one of the second Test in Abu Dhabi.The match is Panesar's first Test since 2009 and he was delighted to return to the highest level of the sport.
"I was really pleased, really excited to come back after such a long time," Panesar told Sky Sports.
"There was a bit of nerves flying around. I was looking forward to bowling with Swanny (Graeme Swann) and applying pressure on the Pakistan batsmen."
Swann finished 3-52 as the pair bowled well in tandem, helping England to a strong position at stumps on the first day.
The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium offered more turn than expected, according to Panesar, who removed opener Mohammad Hafeez for 31 just one ball after he dropped the batsman.
"It was a bit of a surprise (that the ball turned so much)," he said."I think there was a bit of moisture in the pitch early on which helped the ball grip, especially with the new ball when the seam's a bit harder."
"It (Hafeez) was a nice wicket to get after the ball before, I dropped him."Panesar - who has been playing grade cricket for Randwick-Petersham in Sydney this season - credited his stint in Australia and his switch from Northamptonshire to Sussex in English county cricket as the reason behind his recall.
"You've got to play cricket all round the world," he said."I've been getting a lot of overs under my belt this year as well and I think that helps getting back into the England team."
"At Sussex as well I've had the opportunity to play a leading role in all forms of the game and I think that added responsibility helps my game."
England – who lost the first Test by 10 wickets last week – will be hunting early scalps on Thursday as they hope to gain some momentum in the three-match series.