The outpouring of love from the crowd at The Kia Oval after James Anderson enticed Mitchell Marsh to drag onto his stumps was immense.
In the morning session, that same crowd were virtually silent as Australia drove their scoring rate into the ground. When the breakthroughs finally came, Anderson was still absent from the wicket-takers. But, as Marsh’s leg stump was flattened, the crowd were raised to their feet in equal parts relief and gratitude.
Less than ten minutes before play started on Day Two, Anderson was still warming up on the outfield. The rest of his teammates had all gone into the dressing room to change into their whites, but Anderson remained, bowling on the practice pitch with spin coach Jeetan Patel acting as keeper, and consulting bowling coach David Saker after every ball.
As he continued to send down ball after ball in the background, the Sky punditry team discussed the significance of today for Anderson’s England future. Before today, his figures for the series read five wickets for 346 runs in seven innings, with an average of 69.2.
“Usually you can put the pitch map on for Jimmy and it’s a shoe box,” said Mark Butcher. “But he was really struggling to find any sort of consistency yesterday, and as a result of that, he didn’t find any of the lateral movement that some of the others found when the lacquer came off the ball.
“He’s not used to being in this position where he can’t make an impact on the game and when people are questioning whether he should be in the side or not.”
Despite the protestations of Anderson himself and the continued backing of Ben Stokes, there’s still reason to prepare for the eventuality that this Test will be his last. The position he’s found himself in during this series is so unfamiliar to any other in his career that the default for those commenting on it is to point towards its end.
As Emma Thompson’s Nanny McPhee said in the eponymous 2005 film: “When you need me but do not want me, then I will stay. But when you want me but do not need me, then I have to go.” McPhee might have had a few years on Anderson back then, but the statement rings true for him too.
For the latter years of his career, Anderson has been desperately needed by England. He’s been called upon to rescue an ever-collapsing batting line-up time after time, and even a whisper of an injury at the start of a marquee series was enough to predict a dire outcome.
In the 2019 Ashes series, his calf strain on day one preceded a torturous Test match at Edgbaston. While he wasn’t the sole reason for England’s annihilation there, his injury was symbolic of it. Moments of individual brilliance meant that series ended in a respectable scoreline, but the dependable comfort of Anderson with the new ball in his grasp was sorely missing.
Most tellingly over the last few years, it’s been the times where England’s want for him has faded that most clearly show how much he has been needed.
When he was left out of the first Test at Brisbane in 2021 in anticipation of the bright lights at Adelaide, his absence again set the tone. Whether he would have made any difference to the result of that Test is irrelevant, but that his omission was considered a crucial moment in the series is significant.
It was a similar story when Anderson and Stuart Broad were again left out for the West Indies tour which followed it. While Andrew Strauss may have been desperate to get new blood into a side that looked more stale and more broken by the innings, the thumping loss in the Caribbean was enough to vindicate cries for both to be brought back. Anderson was still undeniably needed.
Those years under Root saw Anderson at his best as the standout in an underperforming team. Of bowlers who have taken more than 60 wickets since 2017, only Kyle Jamieson has done so at a lower average than him. No seamer has more five-fors in that time, and only Broad and Stokes have played more matches.
When England needed him most, he was their crutch. When he was taken away, their wobbles became more pronounced.
However, the Stokes era has brought about a remarkable change in team circumstances. Anderson is no longer part of an underperforming team. But up until this summer, his performances haven’t wavered.
Before this Test, only Broad had more wickets than him since Stokes took over, and his average remained steady at 22.24. He was superb in Pakistan. That England could rely on him and Ollie Robinson on slow unfriendly pitches went a long way to helping them secure that series win.
But everything changed when the Ashes started. Anderson has looked like the least threatening option in every England seam attack he’s been part of in this series. He hasn’t bowled particularly badly, but his figures aren’t totally misleading. Mark Wood and Chris Woakes have made the biggest mark on this series, with Broad and Robinson close behind. Josh Tongue earned praise at Lord’s and looked like England’s most dangerous prospect there at times. All of which leaves Anderson in a difficult position.
The Headingley Test match was the first time in many years Anderson was left out on merit alone. There was no outpouring of demand for his return at Old Trafford. If anything. there was caution not to cave into sentimentality in his selection when the Ashes were on the line.
At 40, you’re not allowed a bad series. You don’t get the luxury of a couple of mediocre games being given the benefit of the doubt. As Nasser Hussain pointed out on the Sky coverage this morning, many have been trying to retire Anderson for years. But now seems the point where his exit might be most comfortable on all sides. With other options outperforming him and a finally firing batting line-up, that process has been made easier than at any point in the past.
Stokes made it abundantly clear in the run-up to this Test, however, that he still wanted Anderson leading his attack. The ovation he received from the crowd on taking Marsh’s wicket showed they are still hungry for him too. But not at all costs. It’s Anderson at his best they want, zipping past the bat and making breakthroughs under cloudy skies.
There’s a Test match series in India waiting six months down the line if Anderson wants it. Realistically he will continue to play as long as he wants to. Another series win in the toughest conditions cricket has to offer will surely be a huge carrot. He won’t go for many runs – he has been the most economical bowler on either side this series – and the odd wicket here and there can be a valuable return in those conditions.
But now, his Test match addiction should be greater than England’s to him. Where taking out Anderson was once derided as a solution, this summer it was accepted as sensible. That dam is hard to unbreak.
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