Anderson’s England pupils must learn art of adapting to conditions

In a fascinating interview with Jonathan Agnew before his final Test last month, James Anderson inadvertently revealed what England will miss most about his presence. It is not his late swing (it had faded slightly over time anyway) or his exemplary control or his unstinting commitment and amazing fitness. It is his versatility.
“I am always experimenting with different grips and releases to try to find new ways to get the ball to do something,” he said almost wistfully, reflecting on the future void in his life without five-day Test cricket to challenge his mastery of the red ball.
It is one reason it is wise to keep Anderson around the England team — he can still impart his ideas and observations to the bowling group, as he was doing to Mark Wood by the boundary during play on Friday. It is not the same, though, as being able to explore these ideas himself with instant impact.
He and Stuart Broad had a routine. “I’d allow Jimmy the first four balls of an innings or a spell,” Broad recalls. “Then I’d ask him about the pace of the pitch, how much swing there was, what was the ideal length to bowl, what were the best wicket-taking options.” Anderson — the forensic examiner — had enough evidence after those four balls to be able to offer precise advice and to maintain a dialogue. It was the source of their 1,039 Test wickets in partnership.
Understandably, this new England bowling unit takes longer to gather evidence and find solutions. There were ample examples of that in Sri Lanka’s second innings at Emirates Old Trafford. Angelo Mathews came in at No 4 with his side reeling at one for two. Mathews himself was on a pair. He is a strong leg-side player, but like many from the subcontinent is more vulnerable outside off stump. Yet England fed his strength rather too often, aiming more at middle and leg than outside off, enabling him to compile a resourceful fifty. It was only after England changed the ball and found some conventional swing with a shinier cherry that they drew him out of his comfort zone and prised him out — he was caught in the gully.
Playing only his fourth Test, the left-handed Kamindu Mendis is less familiar to the global bowling fraternity. He had eased into double figures in Sri Lanka’s first innings before Chris Woakes opted to go round the wicket — usually the default for Anderson or Broad to left-handers. Mendis prodded uncertainly to Woakes’s first round-the-wicket offering and edged behind. Yet their round-the-wicket approach to him in the second innings was spasmodic. Finally, when Mendis was past a third Test hundred, Ollie Pope suggested that Gus Atkinson should try the ploy with the second new ball. On commentary, Broad approved of the change. Mendis was dismissed to the very next delivery. But by then Sri Lanka had a 185-run lead.
Anderson’s pioneering use of the wobble-seam delivery is being gradually exploited by the other bowlers. Woakes used it beautifully to dismiss the Sri Lanka opener Nishan Madushka for nought on Friday. Atkinson releases a wobbling seam naturally — he is less happy trying to swing the ball — and the willing Matthew Potts is learning the skill. Wood releases the ball almost exclusively seam-up. He might well generate more uneven bounce if he used the type of cross-seam deliveries often favoured by Broad.
But although England are proficient at inducing enough wear and tear on the ball — with wobble seam and cutters — to enable reverse-swing, they so far lack Anderson’s nous at utilising it. Reverse-swing occurs when one side of the ball becomes so pitted and scuffed that the turbulence generated forces it to curve away from that ragged side. It is relatively easy to control, compared with conventional swing, which is dependent on good shine and a perfect wrist release applying back spin to the ball.
The skill is in utilising reverse-swing successfully. Batsmen are well-versed in keeping their legs out of the way of the reverse-inswinger and playing the ball as late as possible, nullifying the leg-before threat. This is when the reverse-outswinger is important. Anderson often used it to draw a batsman across his crease and keep him guessing before pinning him leg-before with the inswinger as he overbalanced. But there was little sign of England using this strategy here. They focused solely on the inswinger and generally aimed too much at leg stump, playing to the Sri Lanka batsmen’s strengths. The most dangerous reverse-inswingers are actually aimed at first slip before ducking in late towards off stump. Anderson and Ben Stokes are (or were) its best exponents.
The other surfaces in this short Test series will probably reward more conventional seam and swing bowling. But this abrasive Old Trafford strip has posed England’s new-look attack some valuable challenges for future overseas assignments. Hopefully they can persuade Anderson to remain as their tutor. His PhD (an autobiography) is out shortly.