Opinion A chip on Dale,Jimmy stakes claim
It's no secret that the English have historically had a penchant for hyping up their sportsmen.
It’s no secret that the English have historically had a penchant for hyping up their sportsmen. By insisting that James Anderson has more skills with the ball than Dale Steyn,Englands bowling coach David Saker-an Australian no less-might have only dabbled with the tradition of his adopted land. Or so believe the South Africans,who have rubbished the suggestion.
Steyn of course has been the preeminent fast bowler in world cricket for a few years now,having demolished opposition batting line-ups with his express pace and swing. But for once,Sakers seemingly overblown claims might not be preposterous.
Steyn might seem to be in a different league to Anderson in terms of overall statistics,but the Lancastrian pacer has narrowed the gap in the last two years. In fact,since 2011,he has better figures than the South African in away Tests if only marginally 38 wickets at 27.78 to Steyns 36 at 29.08.
He also managed to get one up on Steyn by helping his team win a Test series in India,where he struck with new and old ball,bowling a set of unplayable spells and almost always striking when England sought breakthroughs.
Steyn might catch the eye with his extra yard of pace but Anderson has developed the knack of out-thinking a batsman. The lack of pace might well be a blessing in disguise for Anderson,who,in a way,has had to develop an array of added skills. He not only can swing the ball both ways,but can also move the ball off the wicket. Its his late swing that often consumes the batsman,and in the subcontinent in particular,his variety of cutters,have had a great effect.
Anderson can even lay claim to being the foremost practioner of reverse swing presently in world cricket,especially with Zaheer Khan confined to the physios table. An incredible achievement for someone who hails from the land which once dismissed this art as being an occult practice.
Early in his career,Anderson grabbed headlines for his flashy hairdos and showmanship,being hailed as the next poster boy of British sport. But his comparisons with Steyn apart,Anderson,who became the fourth Englishman to cross 300 Test wickets,might just have created his own niche.
Bharat is a principal correspondent,based in Mumbai
bharat.sundaresan@expressindia.com
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