It was not quite a clash between dinosaurs, because Alastair Cook and James Anderson are not that old. It was more like stags in the Highlands sparring for supremacy – a duel which Anderson won by trapping Cook leg-before for 16.
Cook, 38, made his first-class debut in 2003 and has scored more than 25,000 red-ball runs, half of them in Tests. He fielded at first slip while Lancashire scraped the modest total of 207, grateful for the hand-warmers in the pockets of his trousers, which partially came off when he dived and missed a chance to catch Lancashire’s top-scorer George Bell off a top-edged sweep.
Anderson, 40, made his first-class debut in 2002 and has taken over a thousand wickets with a red ball, 685 in Tests. His last innings ended in Wellington, and almost in tears, when he was caught down the legside and England lost to New Zealand by one run. This time Anderson scored an unbeaten nine in the phoney war, including a reverse-sweep for four off Simon Harmer, before the real battle for bragging rights.
Anderson struck with only his third ball of the season when Cook’s lefthanded opening partner Nick Browne nicked off by almost steering a catch to first slip. A wicket maiden launched a season which is sure to culminate in a knighthood, to match his mate’s, if Anderson spearheads an England recovery of the Ashes.
Before facing Anderson, Cook got off the mark against Tom Bailey. When the veterans faced each other, Anderson chose to bowl over the wicket and across Cook initially, tempting him to cover-drive. instead of going round the wicket and angling into him. For his fourth over Anderson switched to round the wicket and in his sixth he struck.
Having watched his old mate bat for 20 years, Anderson knew that Cook never makes a big strike with his front foot and set him up beautifully. If they play darts together during this championship match, as they used to do on tour, Anderson won’t have to explain to Cook how he worked him over and out: the glimmer of a smile will suffice.
Anderson, from round the wicket, offered Cook a full ball which he cover-drove for four. For his next trick, Anderson brought his 34th ball of the season back into Cook’s half-forward front pad. Anderson’s appeal was more zealous than in a Test for a long time: he had followed through almost into the batting crease in appealing, and only ceased when the umpire’s finger went up.
Anderson had figures of two for ten off 5.4 overs. The accuracy, the surgical precision, the fitness, the shrewdness: all were present and correct as England’s master-craftsman picked up where he left off last winter.
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