As they attempt to lure the crowds to Old Trafford today to watch England’s ambitious run chase, Lancashire are marketing their ground as the Theatre of Dreams. They have pinched the phrase from the other Old Trafford just across the road, of course, but for Monty Panesar the description rings true.

Panesar is never happier than when, after leaping and shrieking beseechingly at the umpire, he sees the finger of approbation pointing skywards. Yesterday he was in full cry, taking six wickets to pull England back into the game, and four of his animated appeals for leg-before decisions were answered in his favour by Simon Taufel, the Australian umpire. For Panesar, that really is the stuff of dreams.

This will be the last Test match at Old Trafford for at least four years. “I do like bowling here,” Panesar said. “I will miss taking wickets on this pitch. We knew we had to bowl them out today, but I try not to put too much pressure on myself. It was good to see the way [Daniel] Vettori bowled, that gave me confidence. I changed ends [from the first innings] and that helped me to get more control.”

There may have been control in his bowling, but his appealing was as uninhibited as ever, despite a prematch promise that he would try not to get overexcited. On one occasion yesterday, as he leapt up and down and backed down the pitch, he almost ended up standing on the batsman’s toes.

“I’m not aware of my movements when I’m appealing, I don’t realise if I’m down near the batsman at the end of it,” he said. “Sometimes I’m told to calm down by the umpires if I’m overappealing. But I think they know that it’s just down to excitement.”

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