James Anderson may have had a rather quiet time in the office during West Indies’ first innings at Lord’s in the first Test but that wasn’t the case in the second. Anderson bowled 10 overs on Day 2 and returned figures of 2/11. The West Indies were reduced to their last four wickets, still trailing by 171 runs which means that it is now impossible for Anderson to get to Shane Warne’s record of 708 wickets, with the England veteran’s tally currently standing at 703, but he gave younger fans a glimpse of what he has done over the past two decades when he dismissed West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
Anderson got the wicket with the first ball of the ninth over and it was the first to fall in that innings. The 41-year-old got the ball to move away from Brathwaite sharply off the seam. The ball went past the West Indies opener’s inside edge and hit the top of middle stump. Anderson wheeled away in celebration. That was his 702nd Test wicket.
The veteran pacer later dismissed Alick Athanaze in the 29th over in a brilliant spell to the 25-year-old batter, who was only four years old when Anderson made his international debut for England in 2002. He mixed it up, going over the wicket, then around the wicket, got the ball to swing away and into Athanaze and finally got his reward off the second ball of the 29th. Anderson bowled it full and wide outside off, but it wasn’t full enough for Athanaze to drive it away easily. He got an edge and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith took a simple catch.
One wicket on Day 1 for Anderson
The home of cricket was primed Wednesday to pay tribute to Anderson — lining up for his country for the final time after a record-breaking 22-year career — but instead witnessed Surrey pacer Gus Atkinson assume center stage as he helped to topple the West Indies for 121 all out in the first Test. Anderson dismissed No. 11 Jayden Seales to end the innings and give a sellout crowd the moment they came for.
Stokes gave fans what they wanted when he won the toss and opted to bowl first under cloudy skies, but all that was missing was an early breakthrough for the man of the moment. Anderson bowled tidily and beat the bat a couple of times in a five-over burst with the new ball but it was not until Atkinson took over that things began to happen. His second ball was little more than a loosener but Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite waved a crooked bat outside off stump and dragged down his own stumps.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
