James Anderson and Stuart Broad have experienced many ups and downs as international cricketers. Show me a player who hasn't! However, this summer they have passed the 500 mark for wickets taken in partnership, and few players have done that for England throughout history. On today's opener at Old Trafford, it was one of those crazy Broad performances when everything either beats the bat or gets that crucial edge to the slips. However, Anderson's two wickets were the results of perfectly flighted deliveries and showed why he remains one of the top swing bowlers in the world.
After stumps, Broad likened the pair to Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough, in that they offered contrasting styles. One was tall, one relatively short. One extracted bounce and seam, the other swung the ball and was more 'skiddy'. Caddick was considered freakily tall back in the '90s but at 6 feet 5 he wouldn't raise an eyebrow these days. The Yorkshire favourite, two years younger, measured under six feet, freakily short in the modern game for a fast bowler.
It surprised me that they played only 25 Tests in tandem, well short of the 68 featuring both Anderson and Broad. All bar four of Broad's Tests have been shared with Anderson and, while Broad has produced some eye-catching match statistics in the past few years, the Burnley-born bowler has delivered two more five-fors (13 to 11) and an extra 20 wickets (267 to 247). Jimmy burst on the scene in 2003 and claimed five in his first innings, albeit against Zimbabwe. However, injuries and loss of form pushed him down the pecking order and by the 2005 Ashes series, Lancashire colleague Andrew Flintoff and Glamorgan's Simon Jones had joined Hoggard and Harmison to comprise England's most feared foursome for decades.
However, Anderson has been reborn in the past three or four years, and is about to join the 100 Test club and overhaul Ian Botham's national record wicket tally of 383. At 32 he may not have too many years ahead and perhaps Broad could eventually catch him. Broad has a better reputation in one-day cricket and has been T20 captain. Yet it is Anderson who stands at number three in the ODI ICC rankings, behind Narine and Ajmal but above Steyn and Johnson.
Neither endear themselves to me. Feisty characters, often resorting to disgusting verbal onslaughts against the opposition, and no strangers to controversy. Thus the England reactions to the Michael Clarke arm-break sledge and the Jadeja allegation smacked of extreme hypocrisy! Nevertheless, when on song and in favourable conditions they are possibly the best new ball partnership in the world. I'd like Chris Woakes to bag a few wickets but perhaps his role is just to lull batsmen into a false sense of security before A and B again get tossed the ball by Cook.
India would certainly love to have two such seam and swing merchants in their ranks, able to withstand the odd dodgy game and bounce back into the consistent groove which has brought them so much success. England's rankings have slipped since 2012 but with a series win against Dhoni's men looking likely, Broad and Anderson, with a little help from Ballance, Bell and Root, could well be on their way to challenging Australia and South Africa once more.
