England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson may be 36, but coach Trevor Bayliss believes he’s still got several years of international cricket left in him.
Swing bowler Anderson made the most of helpful conditions with a match haul of nine for 43 as England overwhelmed India by an innings and 159 runs in the second Test at Lord’s on Sunday.
In the process, he became the first bowler to take 100 Test wickets at Lord’s and took his career tally to 553 — just 10 shy of Australia great Glenn McGrath’s record of 563 for the most taken by any pace bowler in Test cricket.
Anderson is also currently top of the International Cricket Council’s Test bowling rankings.
“I don’t think there’s any age — he keeps surprising everyone,” said Bayliss.
“As long as he keeps his body fit there’s no reason why he can’t go on for three or four years,” he added of Anderson, who has been managing a shoulder injury.
“A lot of other bowlers do start to drop off mid-30s or so. It’s only the very, very best that are able to keep it going.
“I think he’s showing that he is the very, very best.”
Anderson has an even better record at Trent Bridge, where the third Test starts on Saturday with England looking for another win that would give them an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
“He’s not just good when the conditions suit him, but in these conditions he’s the best in the world,” Bayliss said.
“It’s a test for any batsman in the world to try to face him in these conditions.”
Even India captain Virat Kohli, who made 200 runs off his own bat including a superb century in England’s narrow 31-run win in the first Test at Edgbaston, struggled at Lord’s.
Bayliss said adjusting to the local environment was a problem for all touring teams.
“When the ball is swinging around they (India) have some difficulties, as when it’s spinning and we go to the subcontinent,” the Australian explained.
“They have some extremely good players, so our job is to try and stay on top.”
England were without Ben Stokes at Lord’s because of his ongoing trial for affray.
But fellow pace-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes turned in a man-of-the-match display in his absence, returning from injury to score a maiden Test century and take four wickets as well.
His runs, mainly made during a sixth-wicket stand of 189 with Jonny Bairstow, helped England recover from 131 for five to 396 for seven declared.
“He has done a lot of hard yards, not just with the ball but with the bat over the last few years too,” Bayliss said of Woakes.
“He’s a lovely bloke, and one of those guys who everyone genuinely wants to do well, so to see him go out there and do so well when we thought we were in a bit of trouble, to go and play the way he did with Jonny, was fantastic.”
England named an unchanged squad on Monday, with Stokes again omitted, although the selectors said they would assess his position at the end of the trial.
Bayliss, speaking before the squad announcement, said England’s victory at Lord’s proved they were not being distracted by the case.
“The guys are able to put anything off-field out of their mind and concentrate on what they’re doing, and this was the perfect example,” he said.
James Anderson can go on until he is 40, says England coach Trevor Bayliss
James Anderson can go on until he is 40, says England coach Trevor Bayliss
Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 1 run in a last-ball finish
- David Payne’s 3-wicket over at the death turned the tide in favor of the Vipers
- Shrewd bowling by the MI Emirates, led by AM Ghazanfar’s 2-wicket haul, restricted the Vipers to 159/4
ABU DHABI: The Desert Vipers beat the MI Emirates by one run at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The win, which went down to the last ball, was the Vipers’ fourth-straight triumph of the DP World ILT20 season four. The Vipers have consolidated their position at the top of the table with eight points.
Defending 159, the Vipers initially struggled to take wickets. The game turned in the 19th over, when David Payne — who finished with four for 29 — claimed three crucial scalps.
The UAE’s Khuzaima Tanveer was also impressive with two for 34, as the Vipers showed their composure once again.
In the second innings, the MI Emirates lost an early wicket when Tanveer dismissed Jonny Bairstow (8 off 7) in the second over. It was Muhammad Waseem (24 off 21) and Tom Banton (34 off 29) who steered the MI Emirates through the powerplay with the score at 49/1.
They erected a 42-run stand in 31 balls before Tanveer struck again in his second spell of the night to remove Waseem. Banton looked in complete control when Nicholas Pooran (31 off 29) joined him in the middle.
The duo looked settled, completing another 42-run partnership, this time in 40 balls. However, Sam Curran sent Pooran back in the 14th over with 62 needed off 36 balls.
Banton followed in the next over as Payne bagged his first wicket of the night, bringing the score to 105/4. Tajinder Singh (17 off 7) hit Curran for a couple of sixes that brought the MI Emirates ahead of the equation with a 20-run over.
Lockie Ferguson then ended Singh’s stay at the crease with his first wicket of the match in the 18th over.
Another twist in the penultimate over saw Payne turn the match on its head. First, he got Romario Shepherd (1 off 4), followed by the wicket of skipper Kieron Pollard (23 off 13). Chris Woakes (0 off 2) followed in the final ball, meaning that the MI Emirates needed 16 runs in six balls to win.
Rashid Khan (13* off 8) could have been the match winner, hitting a six and a four in the final over, but the MI Emirates could not find the two runs needed on the last ball.
Batting first, the Vipers had started on a promising note, led by Fakhar Zaman (35 off 31). By the end of the powerplay, the Vipers were 51/0, threatening to make their way to a big score.
After Andries Gous (21 off 15) retired hurt, Zaman combined with Max Holden (42 off 37) for a 51-run stand in 37 balls. AM Ghazanfar then got the breakthrough when Zaman holed out to Banton. Following his wicket, the bowlers kept the pressure on the Vipers, ensuring that boundaries were scarce.
Shimron Hetmyer (15 off 9) entered the fray after Holden retired-out and hit the first six of the innings in the 18th over. Soon after, Curran (19 off 19) hit the ball straight into Banton’s hands to give Ghazanfar his second wicket of the night.
Dan Lawrence (15* off 8) also provided a key contribution toward the end while Hetmyer was scalped by Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of the innings as the Vipers finished at 159/4.
Player of the Match Payne said: “It felt as though we were hanging on towards the end, waiting for the moment to break through.
“When that happened, we managed to take a few crucial wickets, and Rashid Khan ensured it went right down to the wire — probably an entertaining contest for the neutral.
“We kept the plans simple, hitting the pitch with good line and length. Overall, simplicity worked well today.”
The MI Emirates’ captain Pollard said: “In our last game, we snuck over the line when we probably shouldn’t have won, and this time it turned around on us. The Vipers bowled brilliantly.
“We didn’t finish the innings well, especially in the last couple of overs. It shows again that if you stay in the fight long enough in cricket, momentum can shift and you can lose from a winning position and that’s what happened to us tonight.”
