Perfect 10 not on Anderson's mind

6 June 2008

James Anderson swung the ball both ways, and bowled many full length deliveries

James Anderson produced his most outstanding day in Test cricket to put England firmly in control in the npower series finale against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

Lancashire fast bowler Anderson exploited the conditions perfectly to claim all six New Zealand wickets to fall as they struggled to 96 by the time bad light stopped play.

Swinging the ball late at a good pace, the 25-year-old finished with Test-best figures of 6-42, having earlier struck 28, his highest score in an England shirt.

That came during a 76-run stand with Stuart Broad, who hit a maiden half-century, as Michael Vaughan’s team posted 364.

“It’s probably the best day I’ve had in Test cricket,” said Anderson. “I can’t remember any other day that comes close.

“I bowl at my best when the ball is swinging; we chatted before the game and we said the fuller length would get the wickets here.”

He is now only four more dismissals away from following Jim Laker and Anil Kumble and becoming only the third bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in an innings.

“If it happens, it happens,” Anderson reflected. “It’s not something I am going to worry about when I sleep tonight.

“If I get to eight or nine wickets tomorrow then I might start to think about it. It’s a different day tomorrow and hopefully the conditions will be the same and hopefully the ball is still swinging.”

Anderson spoke on the eve of this series about his desire to reach the top 10 in the bowling rankings in both forms of the game.

He has since raced to 16 wickets in the series, comfortably top of the pile, and hopes to have ironed out past inconsistency, which was not aided by a six-month lay-off two years ago with a stress fracture of the back.

Stuart Broad shared in a crucial 76-run batting partnership with Anderson

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“The first innings at Old Trafford was a bit of a dodgy innings but if I tend to have a dodgy innings I have a dodgy game,” Anderson said.

“If I can limit it to a dodgy innings every three, four or five games I am definitely on the right track.”

Although this was not the vintage of the World Cup win over Pakistan at Newlands in 2003 or even the spell which set up the Wellington victory on his recall in March, it highlighted his undoubted talent with the new ball.

“When the ball is swinging, with my natural angle players want to try to hit me to the leg-side.

“When I get that late shape I really enjoy that,” he added. “I probably have bowled better but here I just got the nicks. I just got enough balls in the right areas to get those.

“But when it swings from ball one you obviously think it could be your day and when I got the first two wickets I felt I had good rhythm.”

Opener Aaron Redmond and Black Caps star batsman Brendon McCullum both had their off-stumps cartwheeled by away-swingers and Anderson added four more successes after switching from the Radcliffe Road end to the Pavilion end for the final session.

“A couple of times I was told ’this is your last one’ and then I got a wicket in the over,” said Anderson. “It did feel like quite a long spell, my legs were getting a little bit tired but at the same time I felt in a good enough rhythm to get a couple more tonight.”

Only Jamie How hung around for any length of time but his two-hour defiance concluded when he dangled his bat at a wide one.

“It was testing conditions and Jimmy bowled really well,” said How. “He swung the ball nicely both ways and bowled good lines.

“You tell yourself to play with a straight bat but he does bowl from that wider angle which means you think he is leg-sideish when he is straighter than he seems.”