da bet7k： As the Nottinghamshire gloom finally ended an enthralling day’s Testcricket at Trent Bridge, James Anderson led England into the pavilion
da stake casino： Will Luke at Trent Bridge06-Jun-2008
James Anderson: a day to remember © Getty Images
As the Nottinghamshire gloom finally ended an enthralling day’s Testcricket at Trent Bridge, James Anderson led England into the pavilion.Rapturous applause from a near-packed crowd was met with typicalsheepish acknowledgment from Anderson, that most rare of sportsmen:humble, shy and modest. There was nothing modest or diffident abouthis performance today, however, hounding New Zealand with a consistentoutswinger to pick up 6 for 42 in 15 memorable overs. He may not findit overly comfortable, but the spotlight was well and truly on him.It wasn’t just with the ball that Anderson shone. Earlier, his 28provided dogged and entertaining support to Stuart Broad in amatch-turning eighth-wicket stand of 76. Anderson, who came in asnightwatchman yesterday evening ahead of Ryan Sidebottom, is moreoften found lurking at No.10, with some justification too. Today,though, he coped admirably with New Zealand’s bowlers – none of whomswung the ball nearly as prodigiously as he was to later – showingsome of his more illustrious colleagues the benefits of moving hisfeet. Anderson the allrounder? It certainly has a ring to it, even ifhe himself responded more casually to his form with the bat.”I’ve worked hard on my batting. Me and Broady [Stuart Broad] had achat last night and said that if we can get somewhere near 300 maybe320, then who knows,” he said. “We took it slowly – took it inpartnerships of 10 – and we managed to get to 360 somehow. I don’tknow how.”I’m definitely on the right track,” he said of his batting. “[My]first innings at Old Trafford was a bit of a dodgy innings, but when Ihave a dodgy innings I have a dodgy game. So if I can limit it [thepoor innings] to every three, four or five games I’ll definitely be onthe right track.”It may be his most pointed character trait: unsure, reserved anddiffident to the point of embarrassment. Yet Anderson need not, shouldnot, be so hesitant on what can be comfortably regarded as his mostauthoritative day’s Test cricket. He may lack the natural grace andability of Broad with a bat in his hand, but his 28 was not the dourinnings we associate with him, and its influence on the game could yetbe hugely significant.With my natural angle, players tend towant to hit me to the leg-side when they see the angle, but then I getthat late shape. I enjoy that – James Anderson on his swinging abilitiesToday’s innings, to borrow his phrase, was not dodgy in the slightest.Going by his skewed but valid logic, he is already having a wonderfulgame, adding to his 28 with six wickets to deliver a lasting blow toNew Zealand’s fragile top-order. Aaron Redmond was his first, afiercely straight yorker to pluck out the off stump, before BrendonMcCullum was out-thought by an intelligent two-ball set-piece, thelike of which we don’t often associate with Anderson. McCullum neversettled, swishing wildly at an orthodox outswinger, but Anderson wentwider of the crease to bowl him with a near-unplayable delivery thenext ball. The thinking bowler is altogether a more dangerousproposition, and Anderson ran through New Zealand’s middle-order topick up his fifth five-wicket haul, capping a memorable day.”I bowl my best when the ball’s swinging,” he said. “We chattedbefore the game and said that we need to bowl a fuller length to getthe wickets, and when it’s swinging as well I tend to bowl a fullerlength, so it was ideal for me. With my natural angle, players tend towant to hit me to the leg-side when they see the angle, but then I getthat late shape. I enjoy that.”There is even the enticing prospect of him picking up all ten wicketstomorrow, a notion understandably flat-batted by him. “If I get eight or ninetomorrow I might start thinking about it. But it’s a different daytomorrow, but hopefully the conditions will be the same and the ballwill be swinging. You never know.”It would be great to get all ten, but I’m not going to worry about itwhen I go to sleep tonight.”