Jimmy Anderson transcends the ordinary
Being at Trent Bridge to watch Anderson snaffle Kohl for a golden duck was sport for the ages
How’s your week been? Mine has been full of doubles. Double headers and double wicket maidens mostly.
Sunday saw Arsenal Women beat Chelsea Women 2-1 with 17-year-old academy starlet Freya Jupp shining for the home side. The match, sadly, didn’t attract anywhere near the 25,000 that watched Mikel Arteta’s side lose 2-1 to Chelsea later that afternoon.
The win came at a cost for Jonas Eidvall’s side with Jordan Nobbs sustaining ankle ligament damage. There was a pattern as Thomas Partey was forced off with an ankle injury, although Arteta confirmed later in the week that the former Atletico Madrid midfielder would be out for weeks rather than months.
Double headers galore
Speaking of patterns, I took my son to Lord’s for London Spirit’s double header with Northern Superchargers on Tuesday. Again, the women shone, with Barbadian international cricketer and former track and field athlete, Deandra Dottin struck a sweet 50 off only 34 balls as my ‘new’ adopted team, the Spirit (well, they’re north of the river and play at Lord’s, what’s not to like?) eased to a seven wicket victory.
However, the double header saw the men slump to 92-9 to be thrashed by a whopping 63 runs, a real shellacking in this format, which featured an entertaining 81 off only 40 balls from Superchargers’ David Willey.
His knock included one of the biggest sixes I’ve ever seen at Lord’s, one that carried into the second tier of the pavilion. I once saw Chris Gayle hit a six onto the roof of a stand at the Oval during an ODI many years ago, but Willey would have given him a run for his money when he also struck one over the Old Father Time weathervane.
History being made at Trent Bridge
On Thursday I took a trip up to the wonderfully appointed Trent Bridge.
I’ve been watching test Match cricket in Nottingham since 2001, when Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were in their pomp and a visit to this grand old ground never disappoints, even if bad light and rain frustrated a sellout crowd for most of the afternoon.
For some, a 400 mile round trip for a few hours play might seem like a disappointment.
Yet, for me, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
One of the highlights of this sporting summer
For I was honoured to say I was there for one of the highlights of this sporting summer so far.
To watch England’s greatest ever bowler Jimmy Anderson is always a privilege, even more so at the age of 39, but to see him in full flight under grey and gloomy skies with 20,000 fans roaring him on against India was a rare treat indeed.
I watched part of England’s Ashes tour down under back in 2002-03. I recall hearing about a young lad who was part of the squad called Jimmy.
I saw him play for England against Sri Lanka in a tri-series ODI tournament at the SCG in January 2003, where he took a pair of wickets (including the great Kumar Sangakkara) a couple of weeks after made his England ODI debut in Melbourne - and it’s incredible to think 19 years on, he’s still at the top level of international cricket.
Of course, the ODI’s and even shorter forms of the game are long gone, allowing us to savour him in all his glory in Test cricket, happily admitting that strategy has helped prolong his career.
I’ve seen plenty of his career since then and it’s fitting I’ve seen a few of his memorable moments at Trent Bridge among plenty of other places.
Not least being at that ground in 2008 when he picked up his second-best Test figures ever of 7-43.
Trent Bridge suits his bowling no end, but I can also lay claim to being there the day he scored a scarcely credible 81 against India in 2014. I still contend he would have reached his century if lunch hadn’t intervened.
A joy to behold Anderson in full flight
So, it was with real excitement I took my seat after lunch on Thursday to watch the high drama and theatre that were to follow.
With the weather forecast confirming heavy rain shortly, the grey skies added to the feeling of foreboding as the clock ticked down towards a halt in play. Perhaps that knowledge allowed Anderson extra succour, knowing he could focus every sinew into the next short spell before the heavens were due to open.
For the prologue, he snaffled Cheteshwar Pujara with a ball than angled in before moving away, as the talented batsman succumbed by nicking it to Jos Buttler behind the stumps.
Anderson transcends the ordinary
At times like these, Anderson appears in a command that transcends the ordinary. For this sweet, short spell, he was as compelling as Olivier’s Hamlet, as a heightened sense of theatre possessed the crowd.
Never mind the Olympics, for, at this moment, in a passage given depth with compelling narratives, Jimmy, his performance and his sport, were quite simply enthralling.
High drama
India’s kingpin Virat Kohli glided to the crease, fully aware of his mesmerising majesty - just as much as his 1 billion fellow countrymen and women, hold him to be their charismatic leader.
The pair had history. Lots of it. One of sport’s greatest long-running rivalries. Back in 2014 Anderson dismissed the Indian hero four times in 50 balls. But in 2018, the bowler failed to get him out during a spirit sapping 270 balls across that summer.
Prior to this match, Anderson hadn’t played a first-class game in a month. But running in from the Radcliffe Road end with the floodlights on and a suitably refreshed post lunch crowd in full, throaty roar, was absorbing to watch as it was inspiring to experience.
Anderson vs Kohli
Amid the clamour and the noise, Kohli pushed forward to give an outside edge to Buttler as the crowd and the England team erupted in paroxysms of joy, deep, deep joy.
Kohli’s countenance should have been one of horror, instead it was one of shock. Utter disbelief he had fallen first ball to the old English warhorse Anderson.
Kohli was so stunned at what had just occurred, he simply stood transfixed in his crease, before replaying the ball with the shot he believed he should have made. But even that wouldn’t have been enough to tame Jimmy during that mesmeric double wicket maiden for the ages.
It was top quality sport.
But with cloud cover fast coming in, what should have been a pulsating day was ruined for some. For me, it was as memorable a sporting vignette as I can recall, and one I shall treasure in my mind’s eye long after Anderson calls it a day.
PS More double headers
Come to evocative Top Field and spot the next Emile Smith Rowe. Arsenal U18s will be playing at Hitchin Town on Saturday. (Read more here)
Kick off is 11am. Smith Rowe played in this clash back in 2016 (Joe Willock was on the bench). See you there. As part of another double header I’ll be heading to Broadhall Way afterwards to cover Stevenage vs Barrow as League Two kicks off.
With a bit of luck I’ll also be covering Arsenal men’s and women’s teams at Spurs on Sunday to round off a week of double headers.
Cheers