That might be a side-quest at any other time in Anderson’s career. But upon his return to the side after missing the victorious third Test, with England 2-1 down in the Ashes, it feels more like a wrong he could do with righting sooner rather than later.
While Stokes has spent the week between Leeds and Manchester fixing his cultural blindspots with a first watch of “The Godfather”, the don of seam and swing has been going through his usual pre-match tapering with a bit more gusto.
With Ollie Robinson always likely to sit this one out after a back spasm in the first innings at Headingley, not picking Anderson off the back of two low performances – particularly when he’s had three chances missed off his bowling – would have been to ignore his sizeable body of work from the previous 179. He finds himself in a unique spot – 12 away from 700 Test dismissals and yet, for the first time in well over a decade, engaged in an unexpected battle to re-state his worth.
“When you’re a world-class performer for such a long period of time, you can understand the frustration for him that he has not felt like he contributed,” Stokes said. “Even when Jimmy doesn’t feel like he’s contributing, you look at what he’s doing in terms of the run-rate, even without that being his goal.
“He’s such a high-quality performer, he doesn’t really bowl bad balls and the pressure he can put on the opposition can create chances at the other end. He’s not taken nearly 700 wickets without going through two games of not feeling at his best. World-class performers bounce back and deliver. I’ve got no doubt that at some point this week Jimmy Anderson will be very crucial for us.”
This, for all intents and purposes, feels like the start of Anderson’s series in earnest. The side feels in a better place, the pitches far better suited to his craft. He remains in good spirits, vibing with this squad as much as ever. While a handful of England players and staff based in the north headed home after the day-four finish in Headingley, Anderson stuck around to celebrate a memorable win. During the match itself, he assisted bowling coach David Saker, plucking golden nuggets out of his well of knowledge for the benefit of others. Now, he’ll need to dig deep for himself.
As we approach what we fear is the end, even if he doesn’t, the side-quests and quirks to address are all rolled into the main objective. With the Ashes on the line, England have the unique luxury of calling upon a living great with a point to prove on his home ground.
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