‘There was a bit of us wanting revenge on them when Jasprit Bumrah batted’ – James Anderson on England’s strategy on final day of Lord’s Test

England paceman James Anderson admitted that his team had revenge on the mind after Jasprit Bumrah bowled a barrage of bouncers at him during the Lord’s Test. In the Brits’ first innings Anderson, the most successful fast bowler in Test cricket, copped a few blows on his arm, helmet and chest.

Thereafter, on Day 5 when Bumrah came into bat, the Three Lions’ pacers hurled bouncers at him. However, the move backfired completely as Bumrah stitched together an unbeaten 89-run stand with Mohammed Shami, who even went on to score a gutsy half-century with some lusty blows.

England were in the driver’s seat when the day started, but Shami and Bumrah’s stand potentially eliminated chances of their victory. Anderson, who’s third on the list of all-time highest wicket-takers, said that their bowlers couldn’t use the short balls and full-length balls to good effect.

We got the balance of bouncers and fuller balls wrong: James Anderson

“Potentially there was a bit of us wanting revenge on them when Bumrah batted on the last morning and we got carried away but we were genuinely trying to bowl them out. Sometimes you get it wrong as a bowling attack.

“Rooty has taken the brunt of the blame for it, but as a bowling attack, we have to be good enough to take those last few wickets. We got the balance of bouncers and fuller balls wrong,” Anderson wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

Shami and Bumrah joined hands after Ollie Robinson got rid of Ishant Sharma and Rishabh Pant in quick succession. Both Indian batters not only played their shots but also showed great rear-guard action while staving off the hostile English pace attack.

“I felt every time I bowled at the stumps, they blocked it or found a gap to squirt it into to get off strike. When that happens, you go to the short ball. You have catchers out knowing they will take it on. It felt like the best wicket-taking option but it was definitely the period where we lost the game,” he added.

India won the second Test by 151 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The third Test is scheduled to start on August 25 in Leeds.