"It does seem to bring the best out of me" - James Anderson after claiming his 7th five-wicket haul at Lord'sĀ
Veteran England pacer James Anderson registered his seventh five-wicket haul at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in the second Test of the ongoing five-Test series against India. He scalped the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings of the second Test.
Anderson was doubtful for the Test following a reported injury to his thigh. However, scans revealed no damage, making him available for selection for the contest.
The pacer admitted his love for Lord's, where he has taken 110 Test wickets at an average of 24. Following the end of the day's play, he told the Daily Mail:
"I love it here. It does seem to bring the best out of me. I made my debut and took my first five-for here, and to get seven five-fors is incredible. There's something that extra bit special about Lord's. Hopefully it's not the last time I'm on the honours board."
The 39-year-old had picked up a five-for against India during their last trip to Lord's in 2018 as well. He took nine wickets in total to help England win the Test by an innings and 159 runs.
"There wasn't much swing today" - James Anderson
After being outplayed on the first day, England fought back well to dismiss India for 364 before ending Day 2 at 119-3.
Anderson believes the conditions are ideal for batting heading into the third day. He urged the English batsmen to bat all day to close in on India's first-innings total and even try and get a lead if possible. The pacer added"
"There wasn't much swing today, so hopefully we can do our best to get as close to them as possible, if not past them."
He also expressed his sympathy for Haseeb Hameed following the youngster's first-ball duck. Hameed, who is playing his first Test in five years, was undone by a full-straight delivery by Mohammad Siraj. Anderson said:
"Cricket's cruel sometimes. He's worked incredibly hard in the past few years and done everything right, scoring a stack of runs. And he's been unbelievable in the nets. I do feel for him, but he's got another innings in this game and I'm sure he'll get another chance later in the series to show what he can do."
England will resume Day 3 at 119-3, with the in-form Joe Root unbeaten on 48. The skipper has Jonny Bairstow (6*) for company at the other end.