Anderson completes Lord’s landmark
VETERAN ENGLAND PACER COMPLETES LANDMARK AT HISTORIC VENUE
England thrashed India by an innings and 159 runs to win the second Test at Lord’s yesterday with visiting skipper Virat Kohli admitting: “We deserved to lose”.
Victory, achieved on the fourth day of a rain-marred match featuring a total firstday washout, put England 2-0 up in this five-match series.
“I am not very proud of the way we played,” said Kohli. “England deserved to win; we deserved to lose.”
India slumped to 130 all out in their second innings, with James Anderson taking his 100th Test wicket at Lord’s en route to four for 23, with Stuart Broad’s four for 44 featuring two wickets in two balls.
But, appropriately, Chris Woakes ended the match when he had Ishant Sharma caught at leg-slip by debutant Ollie Pope.
Woakes, recalled in place of Ben Stokes after his fellow allrounder was omitted because of an ongoing trial for affray, made 137 not out — his maiden Test century — in England’s first-innings 396 for seven declared. His stand of 189 with Jonny Bairstow, an England record for the sixthwicket against India, helped the hosts recover after they had slumped to 89 for four.
Anderson took five for 20 in swing-friendly conditions as India collapsed to 107 all out in their first innings.
India batted for just 82.2 overs in the entire match, with England’s lone innings occupying 88.1 overs. The third Test at Trent Bridge starts on Saturday, with India now looking to become only the second team in history to win a five-Test series from 2-0 down after a Don Bradman-inspired Australia achieved the feat against England back in 1936/37.
Anderson, England’s alltime leading Test wicket-taker, removed both India openers before lunch and Broad followed up in the second session.
Anderson started Saturday on 99 Test wickets in 23 Tests at Lord’s following his firstinnings haul of five for 20 in India’s meagre 107 all out.
As in that innings, yesterday’s overcast conditions were ideal for the 36-year-old Lancashire swing bowler.
Second duck
And having bowled Murali Vijay for nought in the first innings, it was not long before Anderson had him caught behind for the opener’s second duck this match to become the first bowler to take 100 Test wickets at Lord’s.
Fellow opener KL Rahul fell for 10 when, playing across the line, he was lbw to Anderson.
India were 17 for two when rain forced an early lunch, with Anderson having then taken two for eight in five overs.
Rahul’s exit gave Anderson, fifth in the all-time standings, his 551st Test wicket. Anderson was now just 12 shy of the 563 Test wickets taken by Glenn McGrath. The Australia great has taken the most Test wickets by any paceman.
The top three places all belong to spinners, with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan leading the way on 800 Test wickets.
But with the remainder of this innings and three more Tests against India to come, Anderson could overtake McGrath before the end of this series.