England's king of swing
No Englishman has swung the ball so devastatingly since the youthful, lithe Ian Botham in the late 1970s, writes Vic Marks about James Anderson in the Observer after his 11-wicket match-winning haul in the first Test at Trent Bridge.
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
No Englishman has swung the ball so devastatingly since the youthful, lithe Ian Botham in the late 1970s, writes Vic Marks about James Anderson in the Observer after his 11-wicket match-winning haul in the first Test at Trent Bridge.
Today we witnessed Anderson the artist again. The supple wrist in alliance with the first and second fingers on his right hand smoothly released the proud seam of the ominously dark Dukes ball down the Trent Bridge pitch. And the ball swung in – or it swing out – depending upon Anderson's whim. On days like this he is as beguiling as any classical wrist‑spinner.
David Lloyd, writing in the Independent, says England's excellent slip-catching was the highlight of an outstanding fielding performance in the first Test against Pakistan. Their display vindicated the decision to recruit a specialist helper, Richard Halsall, in 2008.
Halsall, born in Zimbabwe, played second XI cricket for Lancashire before graduating in sports science. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that, as an 11-year-old, he represented the North of England against the South at throwing the cricket ball, he has found his niche helping top-flight players hone their fielding skills.
Events at Trent Bridge must have had Halsall purring with delight – at least when he was not shaking his head in dismay at some of the efforts of Pakistan's fielders. While Collingwood and Co looked capable of catching pigeons, the visitors showed how not to do it. Calamity keeper Kamran Akmal had no real rival for the dunce's cap, despite one remarkable take to get rid of Kevin Pietersen, but Imran Farhat also grassed a sitter at slip to give Eoin Morgan a life.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo