ENGLAND MUST TAP IN TO JIMMY'S KNOW HOW

James Anderson’s response to having his future once again called into question after the first Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford was everything we have come to expect of England’s greatest pace bowler.

- Peter Hayter

The 38-year-old admitted he had not been at his best and had tried too hard, but where certain onlookers were taking his obvious disgruntlement as a sign that he was about to bring his brilliant career to a close, and with speculation mounting that an announcement to that effect might be imminent, Anderson grabbed that idea where it hurts and booted it way into touch.

First, a couple of days before the action restarted at the Ageas Bowl, while conceding he had left Manchester “frustrated and emotional” and that, unusually, he had allowed a dropped catch off his bowling get to him, he stressed he had no intention of retiring, insisting “it was only one bad game”.

Then he backed up those words with another probing, intelligent and penetrative display of the art and craft and skill of new ball bowling with which he has rolled over all previous England records to within touching distance of 600 Test wickets and enabled him to play 155 Test matches, demonstrating once again that when Anderson is at his best he is the best…and absolutely indispensible.

But, no matter how much he wants it or Joe Root wants it or his colleagues want it, Anderson cannot bowl for England forever and, in the shorter term, if he is bowling for them in the opening Ashes Test Down Under next winter, not only would it signify an extraordinary achievement for the player it will probably signify an extraordinary failure of future planning for the team.