KING JIMMY REIGNS
South Africa are on brink as Old Trafford hails Anderson
JIMMY ANDERSON began by having Old Trafford’s pavilion end named after him, but on days like this it must be tempting to christen the entire ground in his honour.
Anderson recently turned 35, but on this evidence age cannot weary him, nor the years condemn. First with bat, then ball, he forced South Africa into a corner from which they are unlikely to emerge. Next up, surely, will be the keys to Manchester.
At stumps on the second day of the fourth Test, a game the tourists must win if they are to avoid their first series defeat in this country since the last millennium, South Africa had stumbled to 220 for nine, and trailed England by 142.
Their chances look grim. The last few weeks have seen the side batting first assert their grip like a late-night drinker clutching a pint in Deansgate. Only something close to a miracle, or the Manchester weather, can deny England now.
The champagne moments were many on a day when not even the spectators’ beer snakes could distract from the cricket — and almost all involved Anderson, born 20-odd miles away in Burnley but now a man of the world.
His first deed was to help Jonny Bairstow to the brink of what would have been a superb counterattacking century after Stuart Broad had been bowled by Morne Morkel in the morning.
At that point, England were 312 for nine — useful on a grudging surface, but not decisive — and Bairstow had 53. Moments later, Bairstow was dropped by Quinton de Kock off Kagiso Rabada. It was England’s cue to make South Africa suffer.
As Bairstow took advantage of some bizarre captaincy from Faf du Plessis, who invited trouble by spreading the field, Anderson hung around to add 50 for the last wicket, of which his share was a steadfast four. The only pity for England was that Bairstow, in missing a sweep off Keshav Maharaj, became their first Test player since Kevin Pietersen against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2009-10 to fall for 99.
But they had added 102 in 18.4 overs of increasing mayhem, and took their buoyancy into their bowling. Anderson has enjoyed success in the past from the Brian Statham End, but joked before the game that the James Anderson End was his new favourite.
His third delivery provided a second punchline. Dean Elgar, having denied England for five and a half hours at The Oval, lasted a couple of minutes before he was trapped by an inswinger. It was not even lunch, yet Joe Root’s side were up and running.
But the coup de grace came after Temba Bavuma and du Plessis had threatened to get stuck in on a bright, blustery Manchester afternoon. In three series-defining deliveries, Anderson bowled them both.
Bavuma had played responsibly, as he has all series, for 46, but shaped to shoulder arms, only to realise his error and thrust out his back leg in a futile stab at self-preservation. Back went the off stump.
Du Plessis, who had fallen twice playing no stroke at The Oval, drove at one that cut back and clattered into the stumps via an inside edge. Since helping his team to victory at Trent Bridge, South Africa’s captain has not had a happy time. His first series defeat in charge awaits. And when Theunis de Bruyn, dropped by Keaton Jennings in the gully off Anderson before he had scored, edged him to Root at second slip, England’s attack leader had taken three for six in 24 balls.
He finished the day with four for 33, his best figures at Old Trafford, and only 16 short of 500 Test wickets. In this series alone he has claimed 17 at 15 apiece. Talk of his demise is not merely premature: it’s downright disrespectful.
For England, going in search of three wins in a series against South Africa for the first time since 1960, there were plenty of other reasons to smile. As he may one day tell his grandchildren, Toby Roland-Jones continued his stranglehold over Hashim Amla, who was caught behind down the leg side for 30.
Moeen Ali, too, continues to bloom — though as an off-spinner rather than a lower-order batsman.
But his bowling has gone up a notch. He cut short Heino Kuhn’s tortuous 24 by inducing an edge to Ben Stokes at slip shortly before tea, and made it 20 wickets for the series when Maharaj played back to an off-break.
Bairstow’s catch off Amla made him the ninth England wicketkeeper to complete 100 Tests dismissals. And there were two late scalps for Stuart Broad.
This, though, was Anderson’s day. He left the field to chants of ‘Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy’ from the crowd and the applause of his team-mates in a real heart-warming moment.