Stocks: Jimmy just keeps going for England
Chris Stocks casts a critical eye over the statistical milestones of the second Test at Chester-le-Street
Under normal circumstances this one-sided contest played out over four chilly days in Durham would not live long in the memory. However, it will forever be linked with a landmark moment in cricketing history after Sri Lanka’s belated show of fight forced England to bat again and afforded Alastair Cook another opportunity to finally breach the 10,000-run barrier.
By now you will all know Cook became the youngest player to achieve the landmark, usurping Sachin Tendulkar no less, and the first Englishman.
However, this match, which ended with England cruising to their target of 79 with nine wickets to spare, was all about the brilliance of James Anderson.
The leader of England’s attack arrived in Durham ranked as the thirdbest Test bowler.
But after adding another eight wickets to the 10 he had taken in the first Test at Headingley, he leapfrogged teammate Stuart Broad to climb to No.1 in the world.
As a team, that is a goal to which England aspire, too.
They will have every chance of getting there, too, with Anderson in their side.
At 33, he is not getting any younger but his performances in the opening two Tests of the summer – he has 18 wickets at the absurd average of 7.72 – indicate no waning of his powers.
The Lancastrian passed 450 Test wickets during a final day in Durham that threatened to become one of frustration for England.
The 116-run seventh-wicket stand between Dinesh Chandimal and Rangana Herath wiped out the 88-run deficit Sri Lanka had in the morning and ensured England, and Cook, would have to bat again.
It was broken, though, inevitably by Anderson, who trapped Herath lbw. He had also taken the first wicket of the day, Milinda Siriwardana the only Sri Lankan to fall in the morning, and also took the next, that of Shaminda Eranga.
On a low, slow pitch Cook admitted was more “Colombo than Chester-le-Street”, Anderson had not only come to the rescue of his team-mates to break the back of Sri Lanka’s resistance but also offered a glimpse into the skills that will prove so useful for England in Bangladesh and India this coming winter.
Quite simply, Anderson is so important to England they need to ensure he is fit for both those tours. If that means resting him at some point this summer during the latter stages of the Pakistan Test series then so be it.
Despite admitting last month he is desperate to return to one-day international cricket, England made the right choice to overlook Anderson for shortform cricket following last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
His five-wicket haul during Sri Lanka’s second innings in this match showed Anderson’s value, especially those three wickets on the fourth and final day.
No wonder Cook was keen to break away from his own achievement and laud the performance of his team-mate, who deservedly won the man of the match award ahead of Moeen Ali and Chandimal, who both scored superb hundreds.
“Jimmy’s a genius,” said Cook. “His 5-58 on a slow wicket, shows that. It’s a tough bowling attack to face and I’m glad I can captain them.”
Anderson, who also took three wickets when England rolled Sri Lanka for 101 in their first innings, admitted: “Wickets are wickets, it doesn’t matter what pitch you play on, you’ve got to try and put the ball in the right area. I thought Moeen’s knock was outstand--
Despite admitting last month he is desperate to return to one-day cricket, England made the right choice to over look Anderson for short form cricket following last year’s World Cup
ing, it put us in the position to win, and I’m slightly surprised to be standing here.
“The pitch offered enough in the first innings and then as it got flatter we had to be patient, be more defensive, put the pressure on. You’ve got to make the most of it when you are in rhythm. The squad’s fantastic at the moment and you try and make the most of the good times.”
On Cook’s landmark, Anderson said: “It is a fantastic achievement and something that has been on his mind for the last few weeks.
“All that hard work, the effort, the lows and highs as well. It has all come down to this moment for him. He should treasure it.”
With England holding a 2-0 lead against Sri Lanka and the series already won, coach Trevor Bayliss named an unchanged 12-man squad for next week’s final Test at Lord’s. That gives Nick Compton one final chance to save his place at No.3 after an underwhelming start to the summer, although the Middlesex batsman did manage to score an unbeaten 22 to help guide England home at Durham.
“It would be a concern for him that obviously he’s not scoring as many runs as he would like,” said Bayliss. “Whenever anyone’s a little out of form there’s always that little bit of a worry I suppose, more from their personal point of view.
“But I thought in a short second innings he handled it pretty well.
“Next week’s Test is on his home ground so we all want him to score runs and be a part of this team going forward.”
Steven Finn is also likely to retain his place in the team despite admitting during this second Test he feels out of rhythm. “I don’t think there’s any one thing you can tell anyone who’s out of form or out of rhythm – it’s about giving them as much support as possible and as much encouragement as you can,” said Bayliss.
“I thought the two Tests Steven played in South Africa last winter he was probably our best pace bowler. I fully expect him to get back to where he was in that series very shortly.We know the devastating bowler he can be when he gets it right.”
Jonny Bairstow took his number of dismissals for the series to 16 at Durham, although his drop of Chandimal on 69 off Anderson on the final morning and a missed stumping earlier in the match means there are still valid concerns over his wicketkeeping.
Still, this is a small gripe when the bigger picture appears so positive for this exciting England team.