What on earth is wrong with James Anderson?

[Craig]

Well for all of the fast bowling experts, what is it, because I sure as hell don't know, other suggesting it is a confidence thing. You see the deliveries that got out Aaron Redmond and Brendon McCullum, where the sort of fast bowlers would dream about, just like a batsman playing a crisp cover drive VVS Laxman style. And now he has the all of the wickets New Zealand has lost (6), and yet in the last Test he bowled some absolute crap, boosted in the end by picking up the last few wickets to fall in the New Zealand innings to make it look like he had respectable bowling figures, and this has gone on long enough as well (Anderson bowling crap). You see how he bowled and it beggers belief why he can't do it more often because it would of got any top order batsman out being Aaron Redmond, to the likes of Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid or Ricky Ponting (if you had got bat on it you have likely have been caught behind or in the slips) for mine.

I don't know what is wrong with him, but I would wish he would do it more often as he clearly has ability.

 

[Jakester1288]

I don't know. I think it is a confidence thing. He puzzles me as well. He bowls a lot of tripe and the occasional Jaffa.

 

[Matt79]

Besides his hair?

He's the Stuart MacGill of the fast bowling world.

 

[Flem274*]

Whats wrong with James Anderson: He's getting too many bloody wickets.

 

[Leslie1]

He just needs swing. Give him swing and he's Lillee. No swing, or lack of swing, and he's rubbish. No in-betweens because he hasn't got the 'stock' delivery he can call upon.

 

[social]

Technical deficiencies = inconsistency

 

[99*]

He's English.

 

[bond21]

too busy styling his hair in the morning to warm up?

Probably a confidence thing - Theres no mistake worse than being afraid of making one.

ie if you are afraid of bowling a wide, chances are....you will bowl a wide because thats what you're concentrating on, you're not saying to yourself "I want to bowl this on off stump"

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

too busy styling his hair in the morning to warm up?

Nah. We all know that there's nothing Jimmy likes to do more (after he's completed his morning coiffiture (sic.)) than play a little bit of soccer to warm up for a game of cricket. This also helps explain why he's suffered a few pre-game sprained ankles.

And also provides evidence that he's a bit of a tit.

 

[Manee]

Nothing is wrong with Jimmy besides being a talent who England have correctly nurtured. and who is improving. 24 wickets this year at 24.75 with a strike rate of just 35.3 shows that he is starting to realise his talent. I expect him to continue improving against South Africa too. He is bowling attacking lines and lengths and should be expected to go for runs but provide the invaluable option of getting some wickets most of the time too.

 

[GIMH]

Anderson's a smashing bloke tbh

Anyway, I read that it was something to do with his action. Goughy has interesting things to say on the topic, cbf to search for them though

I think, as has been alluded to, when he swings, he is capable of utter destruction but when it's not swinging he doesn't know what to do, doesn't really know how to bowl for economy. When he's bowling destructively he often keeps it tight, but when it stops swinging he sprays it everywhere. Desperately hopeful that he does learn how to keep it tight at the downtimes, because he could then go on to be a very, very good bowler.

The fact that he's at his best when it swings is best shown by his performance at Wellington - absolutely blistering opening spell, dismissed the top 5 I think, but then did little for the rest of the match.

 

[Manee]

Anderson's a smashing bloke tbh

Anyway, I read that it was something to do with his action. Goughy has interesting things to say on the topic, cbf to search for them though

I think, as has been alluded to, when he swings, he is capable of utter destruction but when it's not swinging he doesn't know what to do, doesn't really know how to bowl for economy. When he's bowling destructively he often keeps it tight, but when it stops swinging he sprays it everywhere. Desperately hopeful that he does learn how to keep it tight at the downtimes, because he could then go on to be a very, very good bowler.

The fact that he's at his best when it swings is best shown by his performance at Wellington - absolutely blistering opening spell, dismissed the top 5 I think, but then did little for the rest of the match.

Goughy is critical of Anderson's rather dire head position; however, as it comes as a direct, sub-conscious reaction to the full shoulder rotation which allows him extra pace and alledgedly late swing - I don't think that it can or should be attempted to be corrected.

 

[Richard]

I've never really been convinced about Anderson. He has always been too wild. People can talk all they want about technical flaws, but I'm fairly sure he could bowl with a carbon-copy of Glenn McGrath's bowling-action, or Richard Hadlee's, and his accuracy would still generally be poor.

James Anderson is basically like a much quicker and a fair bit taller version of me. You can practice all you like (and I don't, maybe he does) but there's a limit to how much you can improve your control of the ball.

Anderson with a good-quality cricket-ball in the right state (generally brand-new) can be as dangerous as any bowler, though sometimes he can go for a good few runs while being dangerous. The trouble is, even this is far from a guranteed gurantee, because I've seen him bowl woefully under perfect circumstances too.

Anderson has always promised more than he's delivered, all career. Now, he's had more than his share of misfortune with injuries, but he's also bowled execrably when perfectly fit a good few times.

I do not and never have thought it very likely that Anderson will amount to much as a Test (or ODI, but that's for another time) bowler. He simply does not have the control, on 90% of occasions.

His figures this year look good, but they're mostly comprised of 1 good spell at the start of a series then nonsense for the rest of it. His opening spells at Basin Reserve and Lord's against New Zealand were excellent, but he was awful for the rest of the first-innings of those games, the second-innings, and the next Test.

This time, there is the balm of him having bowled well, and not just for one spell but an entire innings so far, in the ongoing Test. That's interesting, because I'd say it's something that's only happened twice before, and one of these (Trent Bridge 2003) was on one of the worst batting pitches you'll ever see. I still don't expect it to be a sign of a corner being turned, though, just as it wasn't in Mumbai in 2005/06.

 

[Goughy]

He has always been able to bowl killer balls. He just cant bowl them often enough to make up from for the fact that he sprays it all over.

Cant (and will not) be able to ever be a consistent Test bowler.

Recent figures are helped by the fact that he has played in some pretty helpful conditions and NZ are ****ty.

He has always been able to bowl the odd magic ball but it is so one dimentional and Test bowlers need more depth than that.

 

[steds]

in the last Test he bowled some absolute crap, boosted in the end by picking up the last few wickets to fall in the New Zealand innings to make it look like he had respectable bowling figures

However, Anderson was the best of England's seamers in the second innings, yet only took the one wicket. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Flem274*]

He has always been able to bowl killer balls. He just cant bowl them often enough to make up from for the fact that he sprays it all over.

Cant (and will not) be able to ever be a consistent Test bowler.

Recent figures are helped by the fact that he has played in some pretty helpful conditions and NZ are ****ty.

He has always been able to bowl the odd magic ball but it is so one dimentional and Test bowlers need more depth than that.

Thanks.

 

[Leslie1]

Until this NZ side do anything of significance post Fleming, I'll agree with the assessment from Goughy that NZ is ***ty.

I'll still stay up and watch every ball bowled to them and put up with sub par bowling performances, but truth hurts, and I accept that.

 

[Flem274*]

Until this NZ side do anything of significance post Fleming, I'll agree with the assessment from Goughy that NZ is ***ty.

I'll still stay up and watch every ball bowled to them and put up with sub par bowling performances, but truth hurts, and I accept that.

Yeah I agree, I just had to stand up for them though, someone has to.

 

[Goughy]

Yeah I agree, I just had to stand up for them though, someone has to.

No worries. To an extent there is an obligation to still love and defend a team even when they are short on class (see England early 90s)

 

[Manee]

He has always been able to bowl killer balls. He just cant bowl them often enough to make up from for the fact that he sprays it all over.

Cant (and will not) be able to ever be a consistent Test bowler.

Recent figures are helped by the fact that he has played in some pretty helpful conditions and NZ are ****ty.

He has always been able to bowl the odd magic ball but it is so one dimentional and Test bowlers need more depth than that.

I believe that he is pitching the ball up more than before and this is allowing a greater amount of killer deliveries per spell. I am also noticing great fluxuations in pace from Anderson during a spell which indicates that his first priority is now accuracy (especially a full length) and yet he still does top 88mph occasionally.