NEWS
Follow UsJust a week before his scheduled last game in English colours, against West Indies at Lord’s, James Anderson served a timely reminder of just how good he still is, picking up the 55th five-wicket haul of his first class career on the morning of Day 3 against Nottinghamshire in Southport on July 2 (Tuesday). It was the perfect return to professional cricket for Anderson, who had last played back in March, against India in Dharamshala.
Taking the new ball, Anderson, in an unbroken 10-over spell took each of six Notts wickets to fall, finishing his spell with figures of 10-2-19-6.
Anderson’s first victim on the day was Haseeb Hameed, who chopped one back into his stumps trying to defend a good length delivery. He then had New Zealand’s Will Young caught behind two overs later.
Joe Clarke (0) and Jack Haynes (1) were the next two to fall as Notts got reduced to 28/4.
The 41-year-old brought up his five-wicket haul when Lyndon James got caught at gully, off a leading edge.
He then picked up his sixth wicket in the penultimate over of his spell, with Liam Patterson-White getting caught in the slip cordon.
Anderson then came back and pocketed his seventh of the innings by dismissing Notts' number ten, Dillon Pennington. It's the fifth time in his career Anderson finished with seven wickets to his name in an innings. The last such instance came back in 2021 against Kent at Old Trafford.
The veteran is visibly in great form, but he was given a tap on the shoulder in May by the England management, who told Anderson that it was time to move on, with the Three Lions beginning to build towards The Ashes next year in Australia.
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