Finn-tastic return for bowlerwith magic touch
PEopLE will look at Australia scoring 136 all out and Jimmy Anderson taking six-for and think the ball swung around corners. It did swing a bit but Jimmy realised very quickly that actually in those conditions the seaming ball was more important.
He used that wobble seam where he holds his fingers quite far apart and batsmen don’t know which way it’s going to go. We saw Adam Voges trying to leave the ball and toe-ending it to the wicketkeeper and peter Nevill left one that nipped back in and took his off stump.
on a pitch like that, the seaming ball becomes harder to play because it has later movement. The swinging ball was more Jimmy’s variety delivery. I thought it showed amazing skill by him to select which to use.
Some older bowlers scoffed when Jimmy developed the wobble seam with David Saker, England’s former bowling coach. But it works. He was seen as a one-trick pony, the King of Swing, and if it’s not swinging what does he do? He has this. When there is grass on the pitch and that seam can grip, it’s a brilliant delivery.
He was backed up by Steve Finn. For him to stroll back into the side after two years and get Steve Smith and Michael Clarke out was phenomenal. He has a very good strike rate but because he goes at 3.75 runs an over at times he’s been left out of the England side. That’s ludicrous really. He has always been a wicket-taker and he showed that again.
He made fantastic adjustments to Smith during his first over. The first ball was a bit short and Smith played at it. His fifth was a bit too full and Smith drove it for four. His next to get Smith out was an absolute beauty and he got Clarke (right) with a full delivery when his natural length is a little bit short. He got good players out. That’s what you want from your faster men.
The key to the day though was England’s bowlers getting the ball to move both ways, whereas Australia’s attack predominantly only got it to swing one way. It made things much more difficult for the Australian batsmen. Hats off to the Edgbaston groundsman for producing what England asked for. It was no minefield, there was no extravagant movement, but it was just enough. Then it came down to using the conditions. Jimmy does that better than anyone I know.
He also handles the pressure superbly. I have played with cricketers when the ball is moving around and you’re bowling first, they think, ‘Crikey, the pressure is on us to deliver’. Jimmy has confidence in himself. Lord’s just wasn’t the surface for him.
Alastair Cook had a very good day too, selecting Finn at the right time and picking the best field settings, keeping the slips in. Having said that, it was a good toss for England to lose as they were going to bat. The sun was out and the pitch looked dry. The decision wasn’t clear-cut. But if you ask for a pitch with a bit of grass you have to use it. There were showers forecast all day so play was going to be on and off, which batsmen hate, and the pitch is always going to have a little drizzle to keep the grass alive. But it’s not an exact science, as I know better than anyone.
The rain came at perfect times because it meant England could use only three bowlers. They were getting rested, the pitch stayed spicy and the batsmen couldn’t get any rhythm. In those conditions Stuart Broad was always going to get involved and his dismissal of Chris Rogers was vital.