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James Anderson won this match for England. 5-87 and 4-38. Those are bowling figures that make a difference. James Anderson is now a bowler who makes a difference.
‘Yeah, against the Windies. Wait until he’s playing Australia later in the summer,’ some of you might say. To which we would reply: ‘Shut up.’
We might even add a ‘get out’ for good measure. You can’t always be negative and pessimistic. Trust us. We know. We’ve gone down that particular road so you don’t have to. Pretty soon you get to a point where a Lancashire swing bowler takes nine wickets and the pessimism’s knocked out like an off stump on a cloudy day.
Anderson’s always bowled some dynamite away swing, but the inswing and the putting-it-wherever-he-damn-well-pleases elements have elevated his bowling considerably. He’s a bowler who expects wickets now and he’s confident enough to give a few batsmen a send-off. Good stuff. It’s the way it should be.
Watching him bowl to Jerome Taylor in the second innings was a highlight. Now Jerome Taylor’s no great shakes as a batsman, despite his Test hundred, but there didn’t seem a point where James Anderson wasn’t going to get him out. Beating the bat a couple of times and feeling hard done by is one thing, but this was just a matter of time. Anderson eventually concluded that being as Taylor couldn’t lay bat on ball, it might be an idea to swing one towards off stump.
Thock. Job done.
Top comment, KC.
I’m not negative and pessimistic. In fact I’m positively optimistic where James Anderson is concerned. Australia had that Mitchell Johnson fellow, who looked like he had a bit of potential, but who was too wayward to be dominant. They’ve gone on to replace him with Mitchell Johnson, who is the best bowler in the world and who will run through a pack of Englishmen faster than swine flu.
Why not Anderson? Just because he used to be a bit line-or-length-but-not-both, there’s no reason to assume that he must be that way for his entire career. People improve. He bowled yesterday with consistency and control. I predict that James Anderson will run through a pack of Australians faster than swine flu.
Wicket-taking swing bowler and top-order batsman – is there nothing Anderson can’t do?
Maybe he’ll start keeping wicket – Paul Collingwood had better watch out!
But can he keep to his own bowling? Then he’d be a true all-time great and we’d have a chance against the Aussies.
Until then, they’ll eat him for breakfast and i am pessimistic.
Derek Pringle at top pace could have kept wicket to his own bowling without breaking into a run.
I’m not sure this ability is an advantage.
It is a solution to the allrounder problem.
I see where you’re coming from, D, but I’m still not sure keeping wicket off your own bowling is the solution. Take the only person we know for a fact could have done it – Derek Pringle. I just have a nagging suspicion that a more useful skill would have been the ability to find a ball in the car park off his own bowling.
Still, I’m not discarding your suggestion completely. It might be a good way back into the team for some of the recently dropped players. For example, I think it would improve Steve Harmison’s chances no end if he could demonstrate that he could field at second slip off his own bowling.
And would show commitment. He needs to show that sort of commitment. I don’t discard either your suggestion or you.
You remain undiscarded on this post, Bert.
An honour. I’m deeply moved.
A first!
D Charlton opts NOT to discard Bert.
Giles Clarke must be turning in his grave. Eh? Oh.
Truly a momentous day. The next thing you know, I’ll be being not discarded by Giles Clarke himse…
No, it can’t be. I mean, I know D Charlton does more than his share of discarding, but that doesn’t mean he’s… No no, that’s ridiculous. Calm down Bert. You’re getting carried away.
What would The Da Vinci Code’s Robert Langdon do if faced with having a vague suspicion about the identity of someone? I know, he’d check for anagrams.
D Charlton
Ranch Dolt
Well that seems fairly innocent. What could Ranch Dolt possibly signify, except maybe an association with someone of limited intelligence from Texa…
If you expand it to Douglas Charlton you get…
Anal Curl Hotdogs
Ewwww.
Brilliant. The best The Davinci Code’s Robert Langdon can manage is a bit weak, using as it does an Old English spelling for a first millenium king of England, and HE CAN’T THINK OF ANY VARIANTS.
Cnut – Old Oral Shag
I do think that Douglas Charlton (or whoever you are) doesn’t deserve this.
My lame contribution…..
GLAD U TRASH COLON
I deserve it all. Too many discardations leads to this – the unveiling of my true identity. Scuppered.
It’s Douglas, Bert – never been a secret – as Suave well knows.
Not sure if Jimmy can keep to his own bowling, but he’d probably do a better job than Prior.
Giles Clarke himself is an anagram of Silage Clerk, i.e. the one in charge of the shit, and also of Arselick Gel, which presumably is applied to improve the taste when meeting Texan businessmen.
Just to be fair to Douglas Charlton, who took the initial brunt, Bert is an anagram of Bret. My full name, Bert Leeisatwat, doesn’t lend itself to any amusing anagrams I’m afraid.
Because of the recent wankfest over Jimmy, I thought i’d point you here. http://bit.ly/p7FJK
I still think he’s shit, but now I don’t want to smash him.
Sorry Bert but I’m going to have to pull you up there. Silage is not crap, it’s a fermented crop for feeding out.
Finally this site has strayed onto a subject I know something about.
The Librarian, if it looks like shit and smells like shit, it is shit, which ought to be a motto for the ECB in any future planning. You are nothing but a Thin Bare Liar with A Hitler Brain!
Very good bert..
http://media.photobucket.com/image/i%20see%20what%20you%20did%20there/unknown_exception/gaf/fry-see-what-you-did-there.jpg
always thought he had potential – always thought he’d remain that that way – still do. I hope he does well, always fun to watch big outswing and stumps flying and all that, but is he actually going to start doing well consistently? no.
in any case I’ll take erratic brilliance over steady boringness any day
Hi, my name is String and I’m a fan of James Anderson’s bowling. I’ve been a fan for some years now, even when he went for gazillions of byes and looked about as menacing as David Gower’s hair. I just thought he needed something to click into place, and he’d be zipping it around where he wanted to zip it, and at top pace. I’m pleased for the kid, he’s a tryer, and he seems to think about his bowling (unlike Harmy, the brainless twunt).
It’s good to share…
Thin was a good guess, liar is arguably true about all of us… but how did you know I visit this site naked?? Or that my brain has a tiny square moustache and plans to occupy europe? Uncanny.