JOY BOY JIMMY
Record-breaker Anderson finishes job
INDIA made Jimmy Anderson and England wait yesterday.
But it was all worthwhile when the 36-year-old grabbed his third wicket of the innings at 5.30 at The Kia Oval.
It clinched a 4-1 series win, gave Alastair Cook the perfect send-off he had set up the previous day, but more importantly gave Anderson the wicket he needed to pass Glenn McGrath and become the leading fast bowler in Test history.
He flattened Mohammed Shami’s middle stump to seal a 118-run win and ensure that Cook, England and Anderson all signed off the summer in style.
It was fitting that the pair should have shared the stage this week as no two players in this current England dressing room have a closer bond.
It started with them clashing in county cricket then saw them thrown together on a plane from the Caribbean to Nagpur in 2006 as they answered an
SOS from the Test squad in India. On the flight Cook had asked Anderson whether, given the only thing he had said to him for two years had been swear words, he had ‘issues’. The bowler rather sheepishly agreed that he did not and they became firm friends. It was illustrated as the pair walked slowly from the field, Cook urging Anderson to milk the applause and the latter refusing, pushing his mate forward for one last goodbye.
It was probably right given Cook will not be back next year.
But Anderson will, although he could miss Sri Lanka and wait until after Christmas to face West Indies.
Tone
England started the day needing seven wickets for victory and, with India still
406 away from their target, it was incredible that they were made to sweat so hard for victory. Rishabh Pant and opener KL Rahul set the tone with a freewheeling 204-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Rahul had steadily rebuilt from
2-3, first with Ajinkya Rahane and then with Pant who went on to his first Test ton with one of his four sixes. After a couple of early wickets Joe Root’s side were made to work hard before Adil Rashid produced a wonder ball that spun a yard and a half to take Rahul’s off stump.
In his next over the leg-spinner got a googly to kick out of the dust and Moeen Ali snaffled Pant on the boundary.
With three wickets still available and Anderson still one short, Root gave him one over before tea and the first seven overs of the evening session before he took the new ball.
In the sixth Anderson had found Ravi Jadeja’s edge only for Jonny Bairstow to spill the chance but Sam Curran then took two wickets in consecutive overs.
Anderson ran in for his 10th over and with the crowd – and his team-mates – willing him on, rounded off a fairytale week to ensure everyone lived happily ever after.