Anderson, the unlikely renegade

James Anderson's innings at Trent Bridge and his partnership with Joe Root was crucial for England and also made its way to the record books. According to Jonathan Liew in the Telegraph, however, the partnership did something more - it left an "emotional deposit", a feeling somewhere in the realm of joy. It helped England rediscover a wild side and Anderson turned out to be an unlikely renegade.

Think about it. When was the last time you saw England batting with the sort of gay abandon on display yesterday morning? When was the last time England were this much fun to watch?

The partnership between Anderson and Joe Root may have rewritten the record books, but it left a very particular emotional deposit, too; the sort that evoked Andrew Flintoff and Geraint Jones going ballistic a decade ago, or Kevin Pietersen at his best.

Seldom does Test batting feel quite so lawless. It took a last‑wicket partnership for England to rediscover their wild side.