Anderson and Broad: The new lead pair in modern fast bowling
Anderson and Broad: That sounds like the name of a chartered accountant firm or an attorney firm. They do not evoke the same menace of other fast bowling combos: such as a Lillee and Thomson or a Wasim and Waqar. Still, they take truckloads of wickets. Not just against India. Whoever comes to England, suffer their wrath. In English conditions, no batsman has mastered them. Not even Sachin Tendulkar.
If there is moisture in the air and there is bounce on the pitch, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are virtually unplayable. Or you ask Virat Kohli – or Cheteshwar Pujara. Anderson and Broad have convinced these young Indian batsmen that they have miles to go before they become the next Tendulkar and Dravid.
Setting a record
It is a well-worn cliché: that fast bowlers hunt in pairs. But if you look closely at the fast-bowling history, you will find far too many lonely hunters than celebrated pairs. Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, and Richard Hadlee, all were magnificent soloists.
In any case, Anderson and Broad were not considered as a deadly pair; but they have quietly notched up a remarkable record. In the series against India, they plucked out their 500th wicket. As far as opening bowlers go, only the Pakistani pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and the West Indian pair of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh have taken more wickets.
Unlike the other prolific fast-bowling pairs, they do not appear larger than life. Somehow, they miss the swagger and terrifying air of great fast-bowling pairs of yore. What sets them apart is their unassuming way. The fun and frolic through their Twitter accounts make them look like harmless young brats than dangerous fast-bowling giants.
What they have to show off for their worth is wickets. Together, they have already taken 523 wickets from 69 matches. Anderson and Broad entered the 500-club in their 67th match. To put this into perspective, Walsh and Ambrose have taken 762 wickets from 95 matches. Akram and Younis have taken 559 wickets from just 61 matches. Akram and Younis are in a class of their own. They have the best strike rate among fast-bowling pairs. Anderson and Broad have almost the same strike rate as that of Walsh and Ambrose.
Technically, there are two other bowling pairs who have taken more wickets than Anderson and Broad. The South African pairs of Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis have taken 547 and 538 wickets, respectively, from 93 matches. However, they were not exactly bowling ‘pairs’. Kallis was more of a silent partner in these partnerships. Pollock and Ntini took the bulk of their wickets.
It is a matter of time, really, that Broad and Anderson will overtake Akram and Younis in this list. They need just 37 more wickets to go past the Pakistani greats. India are not touring England for a five match series in the near future. Still, they get enough opportunity in the next couple of series.
During the 69 matches they played together, England took a total 1155 wickets. And they accounted for 523 of those wickets – almost half of the total wickets. At that rate, they will need just another 12-15 matches to edge past Akram and Younis. Barring an injury or a sudden dip of form, they are likely to achieve that feat. But Walsh and Ambrose are a long way ahead.
Broad is only 28; but Anderson is 32. The latter is unlikely to go on playing for a maximum of about four more years. They will have to race against time to catch up with the Caribbean giants.
Among the currently active players, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have scalped 463 wickets together from 54 matches. Among the current crop, only they have any realistic chance of breaking into this elite club of fast bowling pairs.
What make Anderson and Broad click?
The easiest thing to find is their different sorts of bowling styles. Anderson swings the ball by making it to kiss the surface. Broad bounces the ball by banging it hard of surface. Anderson swings the ball both ways, but his stock delivery is the one that goes away. Broad bowls inswingers all day and he uses outswinger as surprise delivery. Their different bowling styles complement each other.
Another factor that works for them is their relentless accuracy. Broad has a McGrath-like accuracy – he bowls almost every ball in the channel just outside the off stump. While he does not have a prodigious swing, he moves the ball enough to beat the bat or find the edge. Anderson relies on super-natural swing. His deliveries appear coming to the leg stump, but end up well outside off-stump. The ball goes like teasing asteroids that pass the earth every now and then.
Both of them are disciplined with their line and length. They rarely offer boundary balls. They often get wickets by creating pressure and sustaining it for a long time. And they are ruthless against new batsmen. When a new batter comes to the crease, they do not allow him to settle by offering easy boundary balls. The batsman will have to play at every ball, but at the same time he will have to be judicious in his stroke-making. No one now knows more about their tricks and vile than the Indian batsmen.
Let us now see how Anderson and Broad started their individual journeys and how those journeys fused into a collective march towards the top of the cricket world.
James Anderson
Born in 1982, Anderson made his test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003. After the retirement of Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, he assumed the leadership of English pace bowling attack. He has taken so far 380 wickets in 99 matches.
In his early days, he was a mercurial bowler. In swinging conditions, he was a magician capable of making the ball obey his orders. He would produce some memorable spells. But he had lacked consistency. When there was no swing on offer, he was like a rabbit under headlights. He bowled like amateurs in such situations. By about 2007, when he became the leader of the pace attack, he had realized the need to improve his consistency.
It was then that he dropped the idea to bowl a magic delivery in every ball. He learnt to bowl line and length and began to use his big-swinging deliveries as a surprise weapon or when he is in the zone. The new approach offered him handsome dividends. He became a consistent bowler, troubling the top batsmen of the era. He would still have occasional off-days. But by and large, rival openers began to hate the sight of Anderson.
Stuart Broad
Born in 1986 as son of former English opener Chris Broad, Stuart Broad was destined to become a cricketer. He made his debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka when Anderson was assuming the leadership role of English pace attack. Unlike Anderson who is a perennial number 11, Broad is a capable lower order hitter. In the early days, he was more known for his intense attitude than actual results. In fact, he became the laughing stoke of whole of India when Yuvraj Singh hit him for six sixes in an over in the inaugural World T-20 championship.
He came back strongly from that setback. If anything, he only became a better, and fearless, bowler after that. In the shadow of Anderson, he found his mojo. He bowls at roughly the same pace as that of Anderson – in the 140-145 kmph range. But he does appear quicker. Perhaps that is because of the bounce he generates from the pitch. He attacks the top of the off-stump more regularly than any of today’s bowlers. Batsmen cannot keep leaving the deliveries. They have to play at the deliveries and he will test their skills. Unless the batsman is at the top of his game, Broad will get on top of him.
A Place in Hall of Fame
Anderson and Broad are destined to earn their place in the hall of fame of opening bowlers by the sheer weight of wickets they take. Of late, both the players have acquired a reputation as nasty sledgers. It is often seen as spurts of anger than consistent menace. If they continue like this for a couple of more years, they will come close to Walsh and Ambrose, if not move past them in the wicket tally.
If they do become the highest wicket taking fast-bowling pair, nobody will confuse them for chartered accountants and attorneys. They will be the AB of opening bowling.
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