Anderson swings Old Trafford Test England’s way

James Anderson displayed a neat sense of occasion and put England in charge against South Africa as his best Old Trafford Test bowling figures arrived when bowling from the end named in his honour.

Anderson excelled first as a No 11 batsman before returning to his day job as England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, picking up 4-33 on Day 2 of the fourth Test.

He helped Jonny Bairstow to 99 as the pair added 50 for the last wicket in England’s 362 all out. And it then took the experienced paceman only three deliveries from the James Anderson End to have Dean Elgar lbw for a naught.

After a quiet middle session in which the hosts managed two wickets, Anderson returned to take three more for six runs as South Africa stumbled towards 220-9 at stumps.

It was Bairstow who first lit up the Manchester crowd with some brilliant strokeplay as he made South Africa pay for a missed chance which would have ended England’s innings on 312, had wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock held a regulation catch when he was on 53. He went on to produce a masterclass of batting with the tail alongside Anderson, who could muster only four runs but kept out 15 deliveries while Bairstow came up with a series of increasingly inventive and powerful shots.

Destiny was Anderson’s, though and he was not about to disappoint his home crowd.

In his two overs before lunch, he quickly brought about the dismissal of Elgar. Then after Toby Roland-Jones had bagged Hashim Amla and Moeen Ali had Heino Kuhn edged low to slip, it was back to Anderson after tea.

Amla’s dismissal was also notable as a consolation century for Bairstow, who claimed his 100th wicket as England’s Test wicketkeeper. Temba Bavuma’s vigil ended four short of 50, and two balls later Anderson got rid of Faf du Plessis too.

The next breakthrough came again via Anderson, De Bruyn edging a drive to second slip.

Keshav Maharaj passed the follow-on by hitting Moeen for six over long-on before falling plumb lbw.

After De Kock then edged Stuart Broad behind, and Ben Stokes pulled off an astounding catch at gully off the same bowler to see off Kagiso Rabada from the last ball of the day, England were truly in control.

They had resumed with 260-6 on a sunny morning, and were especially well served by Bairstow. He and Roland-Jones had a torrid time initially against Rabada, who claimed 4-91, and Morne Morkel.

Nightwatchman Roland-Jones and Moeen both fell to Rabada before Morkel picked up his second wicket by bowling Broad off-stump.

Bairstow had 94 when Anderson narrowly survived the tourists’ DRS gambit for lbw, but the England wicketkeeper was still one run short of three figures when he missed a sweep of his own and was lbw to the slow left-armer despite his attempt to overturn the decision on review.

His was a pretty good day, even so, but nothing on Anderson’s.