And so at the end of England’s clean sweep of West Indies, the best bowler by way of average and economy rate was … drum roll … Jimmy Anderson. Yep, despite being shepherded into retirement with that farewell first Test, the GOAT was still top of both columns for the two sides. His four wickets at Lord’s cost 14.5 runs each and his overs 2.17 a pop; a nice little statistical postscript for a truly remarkable career.
Anderson decided against joining his fellow contributors when the Richards-Botham Trophy was presented to Ben Stokes on the outfield at Edgbaston on Sunday. The trophy is a double-ended cup that, depending on whether placed to receive some Caribbean rum or a splash of English ale, denotes the holders. England, having slaked an 18-month thirst for a series win with the 3-0 scoreline, rightly kept the triumphalism to a minimum.
Instead, Anderson opted to remain out of shot, having quietly slipped into the role of bowling mentor for the last two Tests. Mark Wood credited him for the advice that led to that destructive five-wicket burst of reverse swing on the final day, while Brendon McCullum, the head coach who flew halfway around the world to issue the fabled tap on the shoulder in late April, was impressed with his input.
“The way he was able to exit the game at Lord’s, that memory will live with him for ever,” McCullum said. “And to move straight into the coaching staff … what he’s given in the past couple of matches has been quite incredible.
“Sometimes when you’re a player you don’t always give everything to everyone else because you’re worried about your own performance. But the information he’s been able to pass on, and the way he’s fitted seamlessly into our group of coaches, we’re so lucky to call upon that resource and the person he is. It’s never easy but Jimmy seems really content right now and I feel very lucky that he’s part of our group.”
Granted, the West Indies batting lineup was pretty brittle, be it Kirk McKenzie’s tortured series at No 3 – he averaged 5.5 in the six innings – or Jason Holder at No 6 appearing a spot too high at best. England could also have taken a look at either Matthew Potts or Dillon Pennington in the final Test, given the Anderson call was made with the future in mind and the series was already won. But over the course of the two wins in Nottingham and Birmingham, the thinking behind the great man’s exit grew flesh on the bones.
A combination of one home‑conditions banker (Chris Woakes), two outright quicks with the ability to reverse-swing the ball (Wood and Gus Atkinson) and an attacking spinner (Shoaib Bashir, rather than Jack Leach) signposted what is now the new structure for England’s Test attack. Overall, it worked well. Only once did they come slightly unstuck: the impish last-wicket stand of 61 between Joshua Da Silva and Shamar Joseph in Nottingham that had the latter smashing roof tiles on to spectators below.
One name is missing here, and there is a case to say that after 10 days of one-sided cricket – West Indies only briefly flickering at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston – the most significant development beyond Jamie Smith’s emergence as a wicketkeeper‑batter of considerable talent was the return of Stokes the bowler. The most recent England team to win in Australia, in 2010-11, did so with a four-man attack but only thanks to a world-class spinner in Graeme Swann. Otherwise, their most potent attacks tend to be balanced by an all-rounder, be it Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff or Stokes.
Stokes castling Rohit Sharma in Dharamshala back in March with his first ball since knee surgery late last year was typical of the man, but a bit of a novelty act, really. Instead, thundering in for 49 overs during this series after a solid buildup with Durham was the true acid test of the surgeon’s work. The 33-year-old displayed none of the grimaces of last summer – the ones that flagged his urgent need to go under the knife – and the knock-on effect for England’s new approach was clear to see.
This, in part, came from the volume of overs Stokes bowled, allowing Wood and Atkinson to operate in shorter bursts or ensure it was not incumbent on Bashir, still learning his trade, to perform the holding role Swann perfected. But it is also the lack of a breather for opponents; those long, nagging spells that still ask questions while the frontliners are grazing.
Over the course of the six innings against West Indies, Stokes bowled in five and induced five breakthroughs. He looks as lean as ever, his speeds were hovering in the mid-80s mph (just ask Zak Crawley, after breaking his finger dropping a catch on the final day), and the swing of before endures.
Had Anderson ploughed on, it would have meant Woakes stepping aside to leave a long tail or the two outright quicks rotating for one spot. As it was, England saw the best of all three, be it Wood terrorising batters, Atkinson announcing himself with 22 wickets – there is so much to like here, even without that bumper haul – or Woakes steadily growing into the series. After a disrupted early season that included time off for bereavement, the 35‑year‑old took 11 wickets at 21 and twice bailed them out with the bat.
McCullum was generally content, stating that England had found “a little bit of the ammo that we are gonna need on flat wickets”. While Woakes has struggled overseas – a bowling average of 21.8 in England balloons by 30 runs abroad, making him more home and away than Alf Stewart – the head coach noted the lack of new-ball opportunities that perhaps explains the disparity. “It’s hard to rub him out,” McCullum said, regarding Woakes’s prospects of a further chance on the road next winter. “He’s a remarkable cricketer.”
England’s hope in time is that Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, when fit, will push hard for those two designated pace berths or even make it three in the same XI. Who knows, perhaps the penny will drop for Ollie Robinson, or Potts, Pennington or Sam Cook will challenge for the new ball role. Either way, after flipping the Richards-Botham Trophy in the manner they did, the roles are now defined and the makeup of England’s post-Anderson attack has clarity.
