After his desolation at the end of the Test Match against Sri Lanka, it was marvellous to see Jimmy Anderson do so well at Trent Bridge yesterday. His record last wicket partnership with Joe Root was just one of the plethora of records that were broken, mostly by Anderson, as he drove, pulled and nicked his way to a career best score of 81.
Against Sri Lanka at Leeds last month, Anderson batted for approaching 1½ hours without scoring, but in the process taking England to within one ball of saving the match. Batting with Moeen Ali, he helped to add 21 for the last wicket while keeping the enemy at bay for more than 20 overs before falling to the penultimate ball of the match; his despair was evident for all to see.
Yesterday against India, Anderson joined Joe Root with England again in a perilous position, 159 runs behind and with only wicket remaining. Slowly but surely, the pair consolidated, built and eventually took control. Their partnership passed 50, then 100; the Indian lead, which had looked frighteningly big, shrank, becoming less with every passing over. The stand passed the highest ever recorded for the 10th wicket by 2 Englishmen, the previous best being the 130 amassed by R E 'Tip' Foster and Wilfred Rhodes against the Australians at Sydney in 1903; Anderson reached the first half-century of his career and then passed the previous highest score by an English number 11, the 59 scored by John Snow during his famous stand with Ken Higgs against the West Indies in 1966. The partnership reached 150 and then passed the previous world record for a last wicket stand, the 163 achieved by Philip Hughes and Ashton Agar for the Australians at this very ground last year. By this point, they'd eclipsed the Indian score and taken England into an improbable lead, yet still they marched on.
Root passed 150 and Anderson's innings became the longest ever by a number 11 batsman in Test cricket. The partnership approached the 200 mark but, just as anything seemed possible, Anderson finally fell, caught at slip, and an incredible partnership came to an end at 198 and after 230 minutes. Anderson's 81 is the third highest score ever by a number 11 in Test cricket while Joe Root had quietly accumulated 154 not out in a stay of more than 6½ hours which had brought England from the brink of disaster to a position of potential strength.
After nearly 4 hours of batting heroics, Anderson then had to come out and open the bowling for India's second innings. Although he didn't take a wicket, his return of 9 overs for 21 runs was no mean achievement for a man who must have been exhausted, mentally and physically. Well done, Jimmy, you're a true star !
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