Watch Jimmy bounce back
ROOT RETAINS FAITH IN ANDERSON AFTER SLIP-UP AT OLD TRAFFORD
IT IS fair to assume Jimmy anderson would not be playing at the ageas Bowl today had he performed anywhere near his best in the first Test against Pakistan.
Instead, in an attempt to quickly consign to history anderson’s ‘one bad game’ at emirates old Trafford, Joe Root may have just pulled off a captaincy master stroke.
Root clearly believes it is better to rip up carefully made plans to rest and rotate his rich seam of fast bowlers in this unique summer and put his record wicket-taker straight back on the horse after the tumble on his home ground.
Better for anderson to be given an immediate opportunity to prove reports of his demise really are premature rather than fret on the sidelines and wonder if he is going to stay stuck in the 590s instead of reaching the magical figure of 600 Test wickets.
It really would be no surprise if the old master, just past his 38th birthday, defied both age and the evidence of this blighted season to now make the major impact against Pakistan his captain predicted yesterday.
full marks to Root, too, for breaking the habit of his coach and captaincy partnership with Chris Silverwood by telling a senior man who always likes to know if he is playing the day before the game that he is in rather than waiting until this morning.
‘Wouldn’t you give an opportunity to someone with almost 600 Test wickets under his belt to put things right?’ Root asked yesterday when confirming anderson plays in his fourth Test of the five so far this summer.
‘You should question Jimmy’s ability and record at your peril. There’s a reason he’s got so many wickets over such a long period of time.
‘It’s because he’s a consistent performer and he will soon be back in the wickets big time.
‘It would be very silly for us to write Jimmy off. he’s still as dedicated as ever, he’s working very hard at his game and he’s been very good in practice.
‘I don’t think it will be long before he’s got another five-for next to his name.
‘We have had quite an honest conversation and for him to get things off his chest and talk about them has definitely helped him.
‘It just shows that even the greats of the game have those days where it doesn’t always come naturally, where it doesn’t always feel like the easiest game in the world and you know it can be a real struggle.
‘That’s the way it goes but I feel with Jimmy we know it won’t be long before he’s back at the top and at the peak of his powers and I’m looking forward to seeing him perform this week. I think we’re going to see the very best of him now.’
Root also said yesterday he was unhappy with his captaincy in the first Test, citing some ‘tactical mistakes’, but clearly his manmanagement skills cannot be faulted in the case of a welcome vote of confidence in a bowler who remains integral to this england team.
for his next trick, Root must now see if he can employ similar skills to inspire another gifted bowler he has not seemed to handle particularly well ever since he made such a spectacular introduction to international cricket last year.
There was the hint of both carrot and stick when Root was asked yesterday about Jofra archer, a bowler the captain has both over and now under bowled ever since it became apparent he could operate at around 95 miles per hour.
archer also seems certain to play today, particularly as england’s extreme pace alternative in Mark Wood has been suffering with a minor injury in the build-up to today’s Test.
and he will go into it with Root asking for more of the electric speed that so unsettled Steve Smith at Lord’s last year — albeit cloaked in praise for archer.
‘Jofra will go through phases where he’s not always operating at 90mph,’ said Root.
‘all we can ask is that he keeps showing the desire to get better day in day out and put in that effort to keep getting up there towards those speeds.
‘It’s not going to happen all the time, we know that, but it’s a great point of difference to have when you’ve got somebody capable of bowling at those speeds.
‘If he gets the opportunity to go out there and play and show everyone what he can do, it’s one of his great assets. So it would be good to see him operating there for slightly longer periods.’
even though Root insists he is not one for the hairdryer, that did sound a little bit like a kick up the backside for a bowler who said he should not be expected to bowl at 90mph all the time. But then came Root’s carrot.
‘You have to trust him and keep giving him opportunities to show what a good player he is,’ said Root when asked how to get the best out of such a rare talent.
‘Jofra is a performer, someone who can light up a stage. he might be — and I don’t know this for sure — missing the crowd and feeding off the atmosphere in the ground.
‘Like Jimmy, it won’t be long before we see a big performance from Jofra. We’re all desperate for him to do well.’
The only thing resembling a surprise england might spring today is the possible exclusion of their spinner dom Bess in favour of Sam Curran, who has been unlucky not to feature more often this summer.
Bess is a work in progress but he really does need to improve his control and Test cricket is perhaps not the best stage to do it.
The heatwave in the south is expected to break up over the next few days with the chance of heavy rain and that might be enough to convince Root his own off-spin will be enough.