James Anderson in India - a farewell tour?
James Anderson in India - a farewell tour?
A look at the greatest swing bowler in the toughest fast bowling conditions, and how he never fails to adapt.
2023 was a tough year for James Anderson. The 41 year old swing genius didn’t have the Ashes he was hoping for, taking just 5 wickets at an average of 85.4, re-fuelling talk of his retirement from Test cricket. Discussion around the pitches being his ‘kryptonite’ seems to hint at a growing frustration with his inability to take wickets in home conditions, where for so long he has dominated proceedings. If the green pitches and prominent seam of the Red Dukes of yesteryear have abandoned him, many have asked what hope he still has in international cricket abroad.
Yet, with his inclusion in the squad for the Test series away in India this January, it is clear that the fire still burns inside him to perform at the highest level. Ben Stokes has often spoken of his confidence in Anderson, despite his age, and it is clear that the management have no desire to cast him aside any time soon. His physical condition has also never been in question, outside of the increased injury rate that comes with age.
In fact, his underlying numbers from last summer tell a completely different story to the headline bowling figures. He still swung the new ball and beat the bat consistently, yet time and time again failed to claim a wicket. His bowling speeds were also still comparable with Cam Green, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad across the Ashes, showing no signs of physical decline.
I, for one, do not think that Anderson is finished with Test cricket. However, this series in India will likely give us a strong indication about his future away from home. The question mark in the title tells you that I’m not ready to completely write off a return to India next time England tour there, but I would class it as highly unlikely. Whether this is his last away tour, however, could be a more pertinent question.
I’ll admit, I started writing this piece at the end of last year, before the series had started, but never to round to finishing it. But, on the eve of the 4th Test, I have a free afternoon on my hands, so I thought I would revisit the question of Anderson in India, now armed with two Tests worth of data and the sound of bleak English hailstones striking my windows.
So, lets look at fast bowling in India, what makes players successful there, and also how Anderson has faired in the past. I’ll start with some stats, then try and break down the different facets of swing bowling in the subcontinent, and outline anything interesting along the way.
Historic Records
Anderson has toured India on 5 previous occasions for Test Series. Here are his stats from each tour:
2005/06 - 1 match, 6 wickets at 13.16
2008/09 - 2 matches, 4 wickets at 53.50
2012/13 - 4 matches, 12 wickets at 30.25
2016/17 - 3 matches, 4 wickets at 53.50
2020/21 - 3 matches, 8 wickets at 15.87
Overall: 13 matches, 34 wickets at 29.32
Given the difficulties away seam bowlers often have in India, this is a seriously impressive record, especially as it spans three separate decades. The list of fast bowlers who have taken 10 wickets at a better average this century is both short, and filled with greats of the game (and the lesser mentioned Mervyn Dillon). The three names behind him aren’t bad bowlers either.
Jimmy’s record in the current series is equally respectable - 2 matches, 6 wickets at 35.82. The third test was chastening for the England team as a whole, but it shouldn’t overshadow Anderson’s excellent performance as the lone seamer in the 2nd match, taking 5-76 across the two innings.
So, let’s break down the different phases of a Test match in India, and how Jimmy is able to use his vast skillset to be so effective. Get ready for some good, old-fashioned, swing analysis, as we look at the three factors that affect any spell - the bowler, the ball and the conditions. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of slow-motion deliveries and cartwheeling stumps along the way.
The Opening Spell
Any leading fast bowler in the subcontinent is expected to take the new ball, despite the prevalence of spin in Indian conditions. Early in an innings is when a fast bowler is expected to be most effective; the ball is hard, the seam prominent, the lacquer smooth.
While I sadly don’t have extensive experience of using or studying an SG Test Ball, anecdotal evidence puts them somewhere on the spectrum between a Red Kookaburra (bad) and a Red Dukes (good) in terms of ‘bowler friendliness’. From the table earlier, it is clear that quality fast bowlers such as McGrath and Gillespie can find enough with the ball to take wickets, even without express pace.
The main difference from Anderson’s home country, unsurprisingly, are the conditions of the pitch, the outfield and the atmospherics. From a new ball perspective, both the pitches and outfields are much more abrasive than in England, making it much harder to maintain the shiny side required for conventional swing. In fact, in Pakistan in 2022, England decided against shining the ball completely, instead employing Stuart Broad to open the bowling with cross-seam bouncers to scuff the ball up as quickly as possible.
The atmospheric conditions in India vary heavily by region. Warm temperatures across the country encourage conventional swing, but this can be mitigated by the stronger costal winds in towns such as Visakhapatnam. Dharamshala, a beautiful ground in the northern mountains, is at close to 1500m altitude, resulting in much less dense air. This should allow more conventional swing, though lessen its impact somewhat. In all, India shouldn’t be a bad place to swing the new ball, as long as you can keep it shiny
The real question, however, is how effective new ball swing actually is in India. While a full answer would take up a lot more than a single paragraph, we can look at the stats from the current series. There have only been 5 wickets taken by seamers inside the first 10 overs of an innings this series, and none of those have swung appreciably. Even Anderson’s wicket of Sharma in the 2nd Test was more down to the away movement off the seam, rather than subtle movement into the batter through the air. (Video below, copyright TNT Sports YouTube)
So what about in the past? Even in 2021, which was Anderson’s best tour of India statistically, only involved one early innings wicket. Instead, he dried up the runs, and took wickets with the old ball (more on that later).
In 2012, however, there was definite early movement to be found. He was able to trap Gambhir in front early with a big, in-swinger, as well as rearrange Sehwag’s stumps without scoring. If you have 5 minutes spare, I would recommend watching the highlights of all of his wickets from that series (shout out to the Long Live Test Cricket YouTube channel).
Conventional swing, it seems, is a fleeting affair in India, with the difficulty in maintaining a shine hampering any movement. Alongside this, Indian pitches are often slow, bouncy surfaces, allowing batters more time to adjust to any movement, both in the air, and from the pitch. Unlike in England, the new ball is not the weapon of choice for seamers in India, which is instead the realm of the old ball and reverse swing.
Old Ball Movement
I’ve already mentioned England’s incredible series victory in Pakistan in 2022, where some belligerent Bazball batting gave them enough time to tease 20 wickets away from the hosts in 3 consecutive games. While spin bowling no doubt played a huge role, it was also the movement with the old ball that gave England’s pace attack an edge on very placid surfaces.
Before diving into videos of Jimmy cartwheeling stumps with old ball swing (they are coming, don’t worry), let’s have a quick look in the Reverse Swing Cookbook™ to see what the necessary ingredients are:
A rough side that is properly rough
A shiny side to create contrast in the air flow around the ball
A stable seam position that allows a contrasting air flow to develop
High pace to increase the amount of movement
The ball condition described in points 1 and 2 in only achievable with the effort of the entire team, and England are known to be meticulous in ball management. Whether it is keeping sweaty hands off the rough side, or shining one side on Jack Leach’s head, Jimmy will have seen it all throughout his career, and have an excellent intuition for when a ball will reverse.
No one in the world can control the seam as well as Anderson, so point 3 is almost a given. The same technique that allows him to swing a new ball both ways also serves him well for reverse. While the position of the rough and shiny side actually dictates the direction of swing, a stable seam still helps reverse, and increases the chance of movement post bounce.
The last ingredient is pace, which Anderson is not known to possess in abundance. However, he still regularly hits 85mph, more than enough speed to achieve significant reverse with a properly managed old ball. In India, this can take as little as 25 overs, meaning bowlers can still be fresh in their second spell, and bowling with the pace required for lateral movement.
Okay, I couldn’t get through this article without showing that over from the 2021 tour (video copyright BCCI website). Day 5, 25 overs into the final innings, India looking comfortable with Virat Kohli and his heir-apparent, Shubman Gill, at the crease. Jack Leach is holding up an end, while Dom Bess has been toiling away at the other. As the ball is tossed around the field, the signal is passed to Anderson that it might reverse and he starts to warm up. Cue the music.
What makes the over so perfect is that it only takes him 2 deliveries deliveries to produce one of the best reverse in-swingers you will ever see. No loose balls, no time to find his control, just on-the-money instantly to a batter who has just scored 50 of the coolest runs imaginable. Just watch the first wicket again. Perfect line, perfect length, he knows exactly how much the ball will move to clatter into the off peg. The stump cartwheel is just perfection, as though spring loaded for maximum impact.
In comparison, Rahane really stood no chance. The first ball keeps low, slamming his front pad just outside the line. No such luck second time round, the off stump seemingly tracing out the exact trajectory it followed three balls before. There is something poetic about a batter holding their pose, disbelieving that the ball could have passed through their defence. But that’s just what reverse swing does to you.
But this is nothing new, and Gill and Rahane are another entry in the long list of Anderson’s victims in international cricket. To show his variety though, let’s jump back to 2012, and the era defining Test series win for England.
Above are two deliveries to Tendulkar in 2012, one reversing away and taking the edge, the other shaping in and bowling the Little Master. In the left hand video, the seam is angled into the batter, but the ball moves away, and then holds it’s line. In the right hand clip, the seam is angled away, and the ball shapes in subtly, before seaming through the gate. Textbook. Listen to Sachin himself discussing the difficulties in playing Jimmy during that series.
Bowling Dry
The final string to Anderson’s bow is his incredible accuracy and consistency. Throughout his career, he has often been asked to hold up an end in Asia, restricting runs and tying down batters, usually seen as the role of spin bowlers, especially in SENA countries.
But there are two reasons I am not going to spend too long focussing on this aspect of his game (while it undeniably adds to his longevity). First, this is a swing bowling blog. Why would I write about what happens when the ball is not swinging? Second, under Ben Stokes, ‘bowling dry’ is unlikely to enter the thought process. The team aims to attack under all circumstances, and Anderson is saved for short bursts, targeting the stumps and extracting what little movement is available.
Swansong or statement of intent?
So, what is the take home message from all of this? That Jimmy Anderson is an incredible bowler, who has the skills to still be going at 50? Possibly. That without Broad, England are in dire need of someone with the skills to implement controlled swing bowling? Almost certainly.
Much like his new frosted tips, Anderson’s involvement in this series can be seen through two lenses. Either he is kidding himself that he is still 25, or he is simply young of heart and body, and this is just another chapter of a long book yet unfinished.
For me, the conclusion I have come to while writing this piece is something of a cliché. I have stopped caring about if this is the last time we will watch an England great testing themselves against the toughest condition, and decided to just enjoy the show. In true Bazball style, cricket is about entertainment, and I don’t think there is anything more entertaining than top level reverse swing bowling (I almost wrote this whole thing about Bumrah, but I’ll save that for another time).
That said, the gap that Anderson’s retirement will leave in this England side will be extreme. Stuart Broad has sailed off into the sunset, Chris Woakes never cracked his overseas problems, Mark Wood is 34 with a long injury history, and I sadly don’t think we will ever see Jofra Archer in a Test side again. England have focussed on building up a stockpile of fast bowlers, think Olly Stone and Gus Atkinson, but I fear we lack any true artists coming through. Only time will tell.
For now, I hope you’ve enjoyed this ramble, and are looking forward to the 4th Test. Let’s hope England can tie up the series on what is apparently a very spicy surface and make the final game of the series a true spectacle. And in the words of my newest YouTube subscription, Long Live Test Cricket.