IAN CHAPPELL

It’s rare that cricket fans witness the ultimate bowler versus batsman duel where both players are at their peak. The gold standard for such battles would be Harold Larwood vs Don Bradman, the rivalry that spawned Bodyline.

I’ve had the good fortune to witness a couple of the best in this category; firstly Dennis Lillee versus Viv Richards and then Shane Warne up against Sachin Tendulkar. As you would expect with players of the highest class, the honours were about even in those battles with all protagonists experiencing moments of superiority.

Fans are currently enjoying another tilt of the highest quality in the battle between Jimmy Anderson and Virat Kohli. In 2014, Kohli experienced a run drought in England and Anderson was the undoubted victor in those tussles. However at Edgbaston, Kohli, with a little assistance from the butter-fingered English slip fielders, prevailed. That’s not to say that Kohli dominated Anderson but he found a way to survive -- and then prosper -- which is an achievement against the master swing bowler.

Anderson is the best swing bowler I’ve seen. For lateness of swing and ability to move it both ways with minimal change of action and consistency over a long career, he is unsurpassed. I witnessed first hand Bob Massie’s incredible debut at Lord’s in 1972 where he swung the ball prodigiously both ways to collect a staggering eight wickets in each innings.

Massie’s performance in that match was a remarkable example of controlled late movement through the air -- Anderson achieves that level of proficiency pretty well every time he bowls in England. His run up and action is athletically smooth and for metronomic repetition, Glenn Mcgrath would be his only challenger.

GREAT FEAT

So for Kohli to be confronted by a champion bowler in favourable conditions and score 200 runs for the match at Edgbaston, without