With England (ENG) playing West Indies (WI) in the opening Test of the series at the storied Lord’s Ground, the cricket season officially arrived. Notably, James Anderson, the best seamer to have ever represented England, is retiring from international cricket, therefore this match is particularly meaningful to both cricket enthusiasts and specialists.
Interestingly enough, debutant and Surrey bowler Gus Atkinson overshadowed him to come out of curriculum for the visitors, and the West Indies had all the strategies and worked to avoid the wrath of the evergreen swing maestro. Notably, captain Ben Stokes made the decision to play with the ball despite the cloudy conditions without hesitation. Although it took some time for the decision to pay off, the West Indies team was ultimately folded for a mere 121 runs.
Atkinson got things going with taking two wickets in the early session in a span of 14 balls. However, the fiery pacer virtually single-handedly steamrolled the entire side during the afternoon session of the Test, making it a bowlers’ paradise. Remarkably, the bowler from Surrey made his debut for England on the international scene in the small overs forms last year, and he started his Test career with an incredible seven wicket haul.
The fact that the West Indies were once steadily rebounding with 88/3 on the board helps to understand the significance of his bowling, as his mastery of the cross seam caused a collapse. Gus Atkinson, making his England debut, thus became the second-best bowler, only surpassed by Dominic Cork, in terms of best bowling stats (7/45).
In the first innings, James Anderson was able to take just one wicket.
James Anderson, playing his 188th Test match for England, entered the Lord’s pitch in the hopes of providing yet another exciting bowling spell with the red cherry in his farewell Test. But even though the renowned seamer occasionally bowled some nice line and length and a little bit short, he was unable to take a wicket until the midday hour.
Also Read: England dominate as Atkinson surpasses Anderson with a seven-for
James Anderson’s moment finally arrived when he trapped Jayden Seales LBW (Leg Before Wicket) to provide the finishing touch in front of a jubilant Lord’s crowd who cheered their champion bowler until the final ball of the West Indies’ first innings. Chris Woakes and captain Ben Stokes chipped in with a wicket apiece. In addition, Stokes demonstrated his fitness by bowling eight overs consecutively following his return from knee surgery. Time will tell if England needs to bowl once more and if James Anderson can finish with a bowling stint straight out of a fairy tale.
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