Anderson must prove that he has come of age
Monday, November 01, 2010 : The Ashes, England, Tests
The news that James Anderson should be available for England in time for the start of the 1st Ashes test in Brisbane on the 25th of November, will drastically improve their odds of winning their first Ashes on Australian turf since 1987. England coach Andy Flower says seamer James Anderson is winning his battle to be fit for the start of the Ashes series against Australia, following the incident at a training camp earlier this month, in which he cracked a rib.
"He's already bowling at 75%, so he should be fine for the first Test. More than likely he'll be OK for at least two of the warm-up games."
Anderson, 28, has been in great form for the national team of late, putting in an especially impressive performance in the first test of the series against Pakistan earlier this summer. In a breathtaking display of pace bowling, he claimed personal best match figures of 11-71 to set the tone for the remainder of four match series – which England eventually won 3-1.
If Anderson’s bowling has had a notable weakness over the years, then it was perhaps a slight lack of consistency – often attributed to a combination of his tender age and short fuse. However, his recent displays in a shirt donning the three lions on England have gone some way to dispelling such worries.
Both fans and Betfair cricket pundits have questioned whether his often fiery temperament will allow him to keep his cool under the baking Australian sun –continuing to follow the wider game plan, over the lure of pursuing personal agendas – delivering both accuracy and judgment if Ricky Ponting looks to be settling in for another trademark century.
But as he has grown in both age and stature, so has the weight of responsibility which he is expected to shoulder. Of the seam bowlers available to Andrew Strauss down under, those looking at Ashes betting tips have him down as England’s most experienced bowler at this level, and will need to act as a counsel to the likes of Broad and Finn if the English are going to try to maintain any sort of meaningful pressure over the Australian batsmen.
Anderson will need to both bowl intelligently and adapt quickly – especially on dry, dusty tracks – but when Jimmy clicks, he’s a genuine world-beater. Here’s hoping he can just keep his head, when all around him are losing theirs.
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