Abu Dhabi, UAE, Jan 25: Pakistan's top order stumbled against England's spin and pace before recovering to 177-4 at tea in the second test on Wednesday.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, 32 not out, got lucky just before the break when James Anderson dropped him in the lone slip off recalled spinner Monty Panesar. Misbah lofted Panesar for two successive sixes over the long on boundary early in his knock.
Asad Shafiq struggled for nearly half an hour but gained confidence and will resume on 39. They added 74 runs for the fifth wicket.
Pakistan was reduced to 103-4 after fast bowler Stuart Broad gave England a sniff of running through the opposition when he sent Younis Khan's (24) and Azhar Ali's (24) off stumps cartwheeling in the second session.
But Misbah and Shafiq repaired the damage before Anderson floored a two-handed catch.
Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez (31) and Taufeeq Umar (16) provided a steady start of 51 runs after Pakistan won the toss.
Graeme Swann uprooted Umar's off stump when the left-hander offered no shot to a straight delivery and Panesar bowled Hafeez off a beautifully bowled arm ball, only a delivery after dropping the batsman off his own bowling.
The openers were little troubled by the seamers and spinners in the first hour and put on 41.
Hafeez cut Swann's very first delivery to backward point for a boundary, but soon the offspinner got his line right and bowled well in tandem with Panesar as the Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch, which usually is a featherbed for batsmen, offered early assistance to both spinners.
Panesar, playing his first test since 2009, replaced paceman Chris Tremlett, who has a back injury and will be flying back home.
Pakistan also made one change from the side that won the first test by 10 wickets, with fast bowler Aizaz Cheema making way for young paceman Junaid Khan.
