England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Leeds, Day 1 and 2 - Another red hot bowling display by James Anderson and Stuart Broad floor Sri Lanka

Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough sparked hope for England in the 90s, but failed to fulfill the expectations of the fans and critics and then, the expectations regarding Steve Harmison, Mathew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones were sky high. But this four-wheeled also failed to live up to the expectation. At the start of the last decade, hardly anyone wished to keep faith in James Anderson and Stuart Broad, but these two pacemen proved all their critics wrong to claim a place among the all-time best fast bowling-pairs in the history of Test cricket.

If James Anderson doesn’t get you, Broad will. We all trolled Broad, we made fun of Jimmy’s hairstyle, but at the end of the day, we all are forced to stand up and applaud the superb bowling display of Jimmy and Broad. I can’t but praise Anderson’s deceptiveness. I am well aware about his ability to move the ball when the conditions are favorable, but over the years those bouncers from a good-length and letting the ball to deviate sharply towards middle-and-off after landing the cherry on the leg-stump, were a treat to watch. The hallmark of a great bowler lies in the ability of mixing the deliveries masterfully and with the progress of time, Jimmy has garnered that craft beautifully.

At the other end, Stuart Broad is genuine fast-medium bowler and those deliveries, leaving the batsmen after landing on the middle-stump is one of the refreshments for the cricket lovers all over the world who are bored with IPL. How well he has bounced back from the humiliation he received from Yuvraj nine years ago. The ability to bounce back after such humiliations creates champions and Broad has been proving his worth time and again.

In the era of batsmen v batsmen battle, Jimmy and Broad deserve all the accolades for breaking the monotonous exhibition of heavy bats.

Sri Lanka showed plenty of promise on day 1, but as the first session ebbed away, England took full control of the game. I must say, Angelow Mathews released the pressure when Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales were grafting that crucial partnership. As the time progressed, Jonny Bairstow grew in confidence and his fluency buried Shanaka’s good work in the first session of day 1. It was a brilliant hundred by Bairstow under pressure, while Alex Hales has realized that to survive in Test cricket, application and not rush of blood is a must.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar