A settled Jimmy....

Is this the summer that finally cements James Anderson’s place in the England side? Throughout the recent series against South Africa he demonstrated real verve leading the attack, swinging the ball both ways and achieving, dare I say it, some consistency. Since his debut back in 2003, Jimmy has been a fairly peripheral figure; the ‘fab four’ of 2005 left him sidelined, and when opportunities arose they were usually spoiled by either injury or a wayward performance. His uncanny knack of following magical spells with frustratingly woeful garbage was legendary, exemplified by contrasting performances only five months ago - a sparkling outing at Wellington which turned to pure dross in Napier. Form seemed irrelevant. ‘Jimmy No-Aim’ would rear his ugly head without warning and without reprieve.

Fast forward five months, and there can be are few English players as satisfied with their performances this summer. Jimmy took the new ball in each match and bowled with aplomb, causing the South African batsman real problems with his testing lines and late swing, and finishing the series as England’s leading wicket taker. With Matthew Hoggard struggling for pace at Yorkshire and Ryan Sidebottom’s back proving a shaggy-haired question mark, Anderson’s place in the side for the next 12 months looks as assured as his bowling. Let’s hope it remains so. Because with Simon Jones getting back to his best and plenty of attacking options for England to choose from, Jimmy needs to maintain this consistency to maintain his position....