'39 and still making the ball talk' - Twitter erupts as James Anderson sets Lord's ablaze with his opening spell

The New Zealand tour of England commenced on June 2 (Thursday) with a three-match Test series. The first Test match kicked off at Lord’s with New Zealand batting first after winning the toss. Veteran English bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad began the opening spell with the ball, and the going was not easy for the Kiwi top-order in the first hour.

This was Anderson’s comeback game in Test cricket after being dropped in the previous series against West Indies. Anderson is currently the highest wicket-taker among pacers in Test cricket, and only behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia’s Shane Warne in the all-time list. This is the seamer’s 170th Test match.

James Anderson dismisses both the openers in the opening spell

The 39-year-old set Lord’s ablaze in his comeback game by dismissing both the openers Tom Latham and Will Young for 1 run each. Both Kiwi batters were caught in the slip cordon by Jonny Bairstow. Latham survived 17 balls while his opening partner departed after facing only two balls. Also, in his first six overs, he bowled five maiden overs.

Anderson’s bowling partner Broad and youngster Matthew Potts also joined the action. Broad bagged the wicket of Devon Conway for 3 runs, and Potts got the big scalp of Kiwi captain Kane Williamson for 2. New Zealand were put straight away on the back foot in the match as they were tottering at 12-4 in the 10th over.

An aggressive field was set up during the passage of play, in skipper Ben Stokes’ first game in charge. Notably, there were five catchers in the slip cordon, and the cover region was left open, inviting batters to drive the ball in that region. With the English seamers moving the ball in the corridor of uncertainty, the edge off the bat was always going to be a factor. And presumably, Stokes was mindful of that in keeping an unusually large slip cordon.

Twitter reacts to Anderson’s opening spell: