James Anderson channels Andrew Flintoff to unify us in trying times

NICK HOWSON: The Lancashire seamer's reverse-swing masterclass didn't just deliver victory for England in Chennai. It felt as though it did something far more important

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A ticket to Chennai via Channel 4

PLAYER RATINGS: Joe Root and James Anderson dominate in Chennai as Shahbaz Nadeem has a Test to forget

"He's set the place alight."

Edgbaston or Chepauk. Birmingham or Chennai. Andrew Flintoff or James Anderson. The Ashes or the Pataudi Trophy. 2005 or 2021. Mark Nicholas or Mark Butcher. Pleasant August afternoon, or frosty February morning. The Hollies or your favourite chair.

Many of the components of two of English cricket's greatest spells of reverse-swing bowling were contrasting. But the most important parts were the same.

It represented a seismic shift in the contest, shaping and defining it. It was a wonderful execution of one of the toughest skills in the game. And it united people while they experience enforced division.

Sport is only live once. The unpredictability of the occasion can be what makes the moments of euphoria truly special. As a result, there are very few instances which pierce that veil and can be equally as dramatic when you watch them for the first time or the 100th.

It was approaching 5 am GMT in the UK during the second week of February and fans were watching behind a screen, yet the electricity of Anderson's performance in the first Test against India will have touched anyone who was watching. 

Young children will have been awoken, coffees spilt, sleeping partners jolted, perhaps even neighbours alarmed. It was a spell of six deliveries which shook you to your very core, not least Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane.

And if you missed it at the time, hopefully, you have found a way of drinking it in. The BCCI's desire to withhold the digital rights to this series from Channel 4 and others has ensured the stand-out moments from this series have been hidden. Rishabh Pant's fireworks and Joe Root short cover catch feel like they never happened.

It is testament to how we felt about the Lancashire seamer's heroics that comparisons with Flintoff's over to Australia's Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting were immediate. And that wasn't just because it brought two prized wickets.

The groundswell of emotion the 2005 Ashes created might never be repeated. Combined with Headingley '81 and Karachi '01, it is used as the benchmark for how we feel about Test cricket. Therefore, it is inevitable any subsequent moments of joy draw such analogies.

"To produce a spell of bowling like that changed the whole dynamic of the day," said captain Joe Root. "We have come to expect that from him. We shouldn't really. 

"It is unbelievable that time and time again he can keep on performing for us like that. I am really pleased that he has had that impact on the game.

"I can't think of one (better spell) in my time. It might have been a little bit of Flintoff in '05 to Ponting and Langer. In the context of this game, it was huge. 

"At big moments in Test matches and you look around and see people like Jimmy Anderson naturally you expect that from him. Big game players stand up and they do special things. 

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It was an afternoon to remember for Flintoff at Edgbaston

"Those are the big moments that you have to grasp and if you want to win series in these conditions against sides like India."

Flintoff and Anderson were born less than 30 miles apart in East Lancashire but their approach to both of these overs could not have been more different.

Even in his prime years, Flintoff conceded that few of his successes were down to meticulous planning. He was an instinctive individual, yet he defined the big moments. Sometimes the ends justify the means.

That spell in Edgbaston wasn't particularly thought-out. Michael Vaughan's hand was forced with Australia 47 for 0 and cruising towards the 282 need to lead the series 2-0. 

Suddenly the ball starts reversing after 12 overs in the hands of Steve Harmison, Mathew Hoggard and Ashley Giles. "To get in there early and find the ball reverse-swinging was something you don't see every day," said Ponting. But Flintoff recognised what was going on immediately, extracting two of the top 15 Test batsmen in the ICC rankings in a matter of minutes.

On day five in Chennai, Anderson was notably held-back from his second spell until the time was right, after 26 overs. Ishant Sharma had earlier got the ball moving but it was always going to be more lethal in the right hand of Test's cricket greatest seamer. The spell of 5-3-6-3, even for someone with 611 Test wickets, rivals any of his best in an England shirt.

And yet despite the differences, there is a theme that connects the moments of genius. It was a period which united us. Even if it never truly reaches the notoriety of 2005, the meaning in such trying times is very much the same.

Image courtesy of BCCI

Opinion | International | England | 1Banner |
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