The Hindu : Sport : James Anderson swings it back England’s way

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Sport

James Anderson swings it back England’s way

S. Ram Mahesh

Ryan Sidebottom contributes his bit as India loses the initiative

– PHOTO: AFP

COMRADES IN ARMS: Sidebottom (left) celebrates with Anderson after dismissing V.V.S. Laxman on Saturday.

London: English opening bowler James Anderson turned in a display of control and variety to help the host dismiss India for 201 on the third day of the first Test here at Lord’s.

No play was possible for an hour and fifty minutes after lunch, when, incredibly, the sun replaced the rain. By 4.05 p.m. (local time), an hour before the delayed break for tea, England had stretched its lead to 134, scoring 37 for no loss in nine overs in its second innings.

Career-best

Earlier, Anderson harnessed swing, cut, pace, and bounce, in varying, ideal proportions, for career-best figures of five for 42. Central to Anderson’s success was a strong, balanced action. His partner Ryan Sidebottom complemented him with four for 65.

India, resuming on 145 for four, lost six wickets in 24.2 overs on Saturday morning, a day former Indian captain M.K. Pataudi rang the traditional five-minute bell at Lord’s.

Credit for the demise of India’s first innings, 15 minutes before lunch, must be shared between Michael Vaughan and his bowlers. They fed off the other: Vaughan’s choice of ends for his bowlers added to what they were trying to achieve, and they, in turn, provided him the means to direct the Test match.

Ganguly falls

Vaughan initially had Anderson at the Nursery End. A cooperative cloud cover was allowing Anderson to curve the ball into Sourav Ganguly.

With night-watchman R.P. Singh at the crease, England knew a wicket was in the offing, and it’s surprising how the sniff of a wicket spurs bowlers on.

Ironically, it wasn’t the night-watchman who was first dismissed. Ganguly battled to 34, India’s third best score behind Wasim Jaffer’s 58 and Sachin Tendulkar’s 37, before Anderson bowled him between hesitant bat and yielding pad.

Not elegant

Ganguly’s wasn’t an elegant innings. He jerked his hips out of the way to leave and twisted ponderously to play to leg far too often. Nor was it convincing.

But, Ganguly’s determination to hang in on Friday, especially after Jaffer had been lost at an inopportune moment, was admirable. The pair, on Friday evening, took far too long to add 28 (111 balls), even if England’s bowlers did direct their attack well outside off-stump.

Ganguly had lived, however, to fight another day.

In Test cricket, much rests on stretching small gains till a considerable advantage accrues. Ganguly, like Kevin Pietersen, wasn’t allowed to. Anderson’s in-swinger to the left-hander at 87.4 mph exposed the lack of decisive footwork.

Late swing can only be countered by balance, and Ganguly’s little hop-skip routine both before and after the defensive prod indicated a lack of poise.

R.P. Singh played Chris Tremlett without alarm, even hitting the 6 ft 7 in debutant on the up, so Vaughan switched Anderson to the Pavilion End and introduced Ryan Sidebottom at the other.

Valuable asset

The Pavilion End offers the outswing bowler the valuable asset of deceit. If he is capable of switching off swing — an advanced art that can mess up wrist positions and cause permanent loss — an outswing bowler will find that he can cut the ball down the Lord’s slope into the right-hander.

Thus Anderson ended M.S. Dhoni’s stay, cramping him into giving a catch to the slips.

Anil Kumble joined V.V.S. Laxman. Two more upstanding men, one can’t hope to find, but their resistance worth 17 for the eighth wicket was cut short by Sidebottom.

Kumble couldn’t get his bat across in time to a curling lefty in-swinger, and Simon Taufel made an excellent decision.

Laxman had batted thus far with elaborate care. Like Andrew Strauss in England’s first innings, he held his stroke late. A couple of checked drives either side of mid-off contained promise.

But just as it seemed Laxman would be left high and dry by India’s tail, he fell victim to a Sidebottom con job.

The left-armer persuaded one to travel with the arm and the edge was taken by Matt Prior. Anderson then had Zaheer Khan caught at slip off an ill-advised hook for his third five-wicket haul in Tests.

Milestone

Anderson’s milestone was significant. Of a different significance was Tendulkar passing Steve Waugh on Friday to become Test cricket’s third-highest run-getter. Though not in the best of touch, evidenced by his scoring mostly behind the wicket, Tendulkar had looked determined for a big score. But, Anderson trapped the 34-year-old before his stumps with an in-ducker; it was Tendulkar’s highest score at Lord’s.

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