KIWI star is a match for the two veteran English pace bowlers, writes former Test bowler IAN CALLEN:
PERCHED above one of the Lords grandstands is the famous Father Time weathervane, a gift from the stand’s architect Sir Herbert Baker. We are told that it depicts rule of cricket 12(3); that after calling time the bails shall be removed from both wickets.
The image of a robed and bearded man carrying a scythe and hourglass debuted against the Australia’s in 1926 and has been determining the bowling end for the first ball of every Lords Test since.
It has become a beacon to the game, withstanding the destruction of WWII, lightning and even cyclones to witness some of cricket’s most memorable achievements. In particular the bowling performances of Ian Botham’s 8/34, Glenn McGrath’s 8/38, Hedley Verity’s 8/43 and who can forget R.A.L. Massie’s 16 wicket haul.
All this came to me last week whilst in isolation following the Test match between England and New Zealand. Still in isolation, now a blackout and writing under torch light: it occurred to me that Father Time has been standing there above the best in the game for 95 years.
Its image, symbolically and universally recognisable is certainly due to its longevity in the game and with that thought I realised the two fast men I’d been watching have also had exceptionally long careers.
One of them, a fast bowler from Burnley, Jimmy Anderson. The other, his bowling partner from Nottingham, Stuart Broad and last week’s Test was their 24th appearance under that iconic figure. Anderson just completed his 950 overs for 104 victim’s. Broad still has 3threedeliveries to complete his 878th over for 97 wickets.
Are they a legendary double act? I’ll leave that for you, but at Lords, Anderson and Broad have appeared and achieved more than any other bowler or bowling partnership in Test History.
Without wanting to diminish from this feat, it’s fair to say their careers have been helped by the lack of pace bowling talent in English cricket. So as the game progressed, another thought came to me; how might the pair have fared if New Zealand’s medium fast bowler Tim Southee had been born to English cricket?
There’s no doubt the North Islander, with new ball in hand; particularly a Dukes, is as dangerous as any in Test cricket today and thankfully on the morning of the 3rd day, Father Time turned with the wind to face fairer skies allowing the England Captain Joe Root on 42 to take strike. At the other end, opener Rory Burns 59. The scene was set and in the dressing room the English team huddled anxiously hoping the scoreboard might soon tick past that dreaded 111, the Nelson curse.
This didn’t happen, Kyle Jamieson struck with the first ball of the morning, sending the English Captain to the pavilion.
At the other end Southee was executing dot ball after dot, probing away in search of another break. It was a terrific contest with Jamieson and Southee bowling in partnership.
If there’s anything better to watch in Test match cricket, I don’t know what it could be?
When Southee struck, England’s middle order lost 3/0 and by the time the he’d finished his return was 6/43, his second six wicket haul at the ground. It was a terrific performance and I doubt there would be many who’d argue he’s at least on a par with England’s double act Anderson and Broad. Southee has now taken 20 wickets in 4 appearances to bring his strike rate to 5 wickets per Test just 0.25 of a dismissal behind the legendary Freddie Trueman.
Time in the game brings fame and so it has for the two current England fast bowlers. They have now played 9 more Tests at Lords than Ian Botham and 12 more than Fred Trueman and in all Broad has played 147 Tests for 518 wickets, Anderson 161 for 616: compared to the Kiwi’s 78 Test for 307 victims and by my calculations that is better than par.
IAN CALLEN is a former Victorian and Australian fast bowler, Test cap No 291.
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