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2nd Test, Lord's, London

MW1304

Cricketer Of The Year
So good watching Anderson getting pummeled. Have always regarded that as his actual level, barring a category four cyclone over his head. And he hasn't done much out here in three subsequent tours to suggest otherwise
Strange take considering he was fantastic on two of those tours. One of them helping us win for the only time in 30-whatever years.

His away record has holes for sure, but you've not found them there.
 

Starfighter

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Strange take considering he was fantastic on two of those tours. One of them helping us win for the only time in 30-whatever years.
What was the second? Or are you pretending '17/18 was fantastic? The one where he helped you lot win was also the dampest, most English summer for thirty-six years, so I think Burgey's point stands.
 

Burgey

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Strange take considering he was fantastic on two of those tours. One of them helping us win for the only time in 30-whatever years.

His away record has holes for sure, but you've not found them there.
Don’t think he was particularly great in 10/11 tbh, though others certainly were. Obviously I’m being uncharitable to him though, but that’s because he’s a massive, thin-skinned **** who can give it in spades but has a cry when he cops it back. Basically the ***** of test cricket, but with some achievements to his name.
 
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GoodAreasShane

Cricketer Of The Year
2017/18 would have looked a fair bit worse if not for Smith's dimwitted captaincy in not enforcing the follow on in Adelaide. The ball was going around corners in that night session, why anyone would choose to bat again in those conditions truly astounds me.
 

Uppercut

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Don’t think he was particularly great in 10/11 tbh, though others certainly were. Obviously I’m being uncharitable to him though, but that’s because he’s a massive, thin-skinned **** who can give it in spades but has a cry when he cops it back. Basically the ***** of test cricket, but with some achievements to his name.
The weather stuff has kind of become a meme, but I don't remember anyone talking about it at the time. Adelaide on day one was an absolute road and he ripped through the top order in minutes.

Have to say I remember him being pretty great. When it wasn't swinging he still bowled a silly amount of overs without giving up too many runs, which hadn't really happened before and hasn't always happened since. Feels like a long time ago now though, and that England attack functioned so much as a unit that it's not that easy to say how much credit to give to each individual.
 

GoodAreasShane

Cricketer Of The Year
To be fair, while I certainly think Anderson is overrated, he was definitely pretty good in 2010/11. England were an efficient bowling unit throughout that series
 

Starfighter

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Just had a look at Ashes series bowling records. The last English bowler to get thirty wickets in a series in Australia was Snow in '70/71, and as a reward he was not selected next time around because he was not 'the right sort of character'. Since then only Botham has passed the mark in England. It has been done by Australians in England eleven times and in Australia five times in that period.

Looking at this stuff you also realise just how bloody good Johnson was in '13/14.

Have to say I remember him being pretty great.
Perspective: average wise, he was marginally worse than Alan Connolly in 1968, and took one fewer five-for. Had you heard of Connolly's greatness in that series? Don't undersell the contributions of the other England bowlers either.
 

morgieb

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Rarely has a side gone overseas and made the home team look silly in the way England did, especially when the sides are at least on paper quite evenly matched. Ruthless is an understatement.
 

MW1304

Cricketer Of The Year
What was the second? Or are you pretending '17/18 was fantastic? The one where he helped you lot win was also the dampest, most English summer for thirty-six years, so I think Burgey's point stands.
Yeah it was fantastic, no pretending needed. Not an easy tour to keep pounding in on, as the despair around the results kept on building, but he kept going and barely gave a run away. He doesn't get much pace any more and wasn't finding any swing aside from one spell, but he used the tools he had admirably with absolutely no support. What happened around him shouldn't take away from that.

And why I have to defend his 10/11 tour is baffling. Some incredible reaching going on. He was consistently excellent; a great attack yes, but he was the best of them. Tore through the top order multiple times, utilised reverse swing excellently. Burgey's point was his tours of Australia have all been meh, so no that kind of revisionism doesn't stand.
 

GoodAreasShane

Cricketer Of The Year
Yeah it was fantastic, no pretending needed. Not an easy tour to keep pounding in on, as the despair around the results kept on building, but he kept going and barely gave a run away. He doesn't get much pace any more and wasn't finding any swing aside from one spell, but he used the tools he had admirably with absolutely no support. What happened around him shouldn't take away from that.
This just isn't even close to right. He was economical sure, but so often just looked completely nonthreatening
 

Burgey

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Good to see the Poms have these rubbish Border Protection/ Customs shows. **** they **** me. Universally bad no matter where they are made
 

the big bambino

International Captain
This just isn't even close to right. He was economical sure, but so often just looked completely nonthreatening
Over the years there's been a good number of Australian and OS fast medium bowlers who've done well here. Generally though they are support bowlers and that's what Anderson did out here in 17/18. He bowled well and did his job. What you need is one fast bowler to lead the attack. If you could arrange it, a pairing of Cummins with Anderson as support, would be very effective out here.
 

MW1304

Cricketer Of The Year
This just isn't even close to right. He was economical sure, but so often just looked completely nonthreatening
Of course he looked unthreatening sometimes, there were some dead as **** pitches. Still took a four-fer on the deadest of all.

I really don't know what's so objectionable about this, he was clearly pretty good. If you want to argue semantics, and what precise word is most suitable, then I can't be bothered.

If you want to use Starfighter's unimpeachable method of judging quality, an average of less than 28 when basically every other bowler in the team was going at 50 is a good one.
 

Burgey

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Christ, they just said TPC had a net session yesterday where he faced 1,000 balls. No wonder our bowlers can’t get through five tests in a row.
 
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Uppercut

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Perspective: average wise, he was marginally worse than Alan Connolly in 1968, and took one fewer five-for. Had you heard of Connolly's greatness in that series? Don't undersell the contributions of the other England bowlers either.
You can probably find a better comparison than Connolly tbh. Pretty sure Midge averaged something similar in '09.

I just remember him being pretty great, and I don't remember it even being up for discussion. I reckon if you dig Burgey's posts from the end of that series he'll be reluctantly admitting that Anderson was pretty great. You can look at his figures and re-evaluate if you like, though it wouldn't really interest me personally. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, or maybe there were weaknesses in his bowling that we missed at the time.
 

Tom Flint

International Regular
Forget the pitch inspection it's coming down here in slough where I'm working, about 6 miles north of lords. Will be raining there in 15 minutes or so
 

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