Top 10 Unforgettable Tests of James Anderson at Old Trafford

James Anderson vs Australia 2023. (Photo Source: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The fourth Test of the Ashes 2023 is being played at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground. After the victory in the third Test, England brought James Anderson back into the playing XI, replacing Ollie Robinson. Anderson, who is the local boy, is expected to regain his form in the crucial contest in Manchester.

In his vast 20-year Test career, Anderson has picked up 37 wickets in 21 innings of 11 matches at Old Trafford, with the best bowling innings of 4/38. With England trailing by 1-2 against their arch-rivals, Anderson will have to step up and deliver impactful bowling figures to his side with his spunk and skills. In the past, Anderson put up excellent bowling performances for the English side at Old Trafford in the longest format of the sport.

Here’s the performance of James Anderson in his 10 Old Trafford Tests

10. West Indies (2004)

James Anderson vs West Indies. (Photo Source: Getty Images )

In 2004, the West Indies toured England for four Tests and the hosts whitewashed the Caribbeans by 4-0. After the victory in the first two Tests, both sides met each other at Old Trafford in the third Test. The Windies skipper Brian Lara won the toss in the match and put his team to bat first.

Riding on some fine batting efforts of Shivnarine Chanderpaul (76), Dwayne Bravo (77), and Carlton Baugh (68), the visitors posted 395 runs on the board. Anderson, who had played just nine Tests, was also a part of England’s playing XI as the fourth pacer. In the first innings, the 22-year-old Anderson picked up the important wicket of Carlton Baugh to fold the Windies’ innings under 400.

The Michael Vaughan-led side won the game comfortably with seven wickets in hand and Graham Thorpe, who notched 114 in the first innings received the Player of the Match award. In his team’s enormous triumph, Anderson could contribute only one wicket.

9. New Zealand (2008)

James Anderson vs New Zealand. (Photo Source:  Getty Images)

England hosted New Zealand for three Tests, a T20 International (T20I), and five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2008. Following the draw in the opening Test, England put up a spectacular show against the Black Caps and clinched a six-wicket triumph in Manchester.

In the contest, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first. Ross Taylor notched up an unbeaten 154 and helped New Zealand to amass 381 on the board in the first innings. Anderson grabbed four wickets in the innings and became the leading wicket-taker for England.

Replying to New Zealand, England batters performed horrendously in the first innings and got bundled out on 202. However, under the leadership of Anderson, England bowlers wrapped up New Zealand on 114. Anderson provided the early breakthrough in the form of Aaron Redmond. In England’s emphatic win, the speedster played a huge role with the ball, picking up five wickets.

8. Bangladesh (2010)

James Anderson vs Bangladesh. (Photo Source:  Getty Images)

In 2010, England locked horns with Bangladesh in the second Test at Old Trafford, following their eight-wicket victory at Lord’s. Batting first after winning the toss, England accumulated 419 runs on the board. Ian Bell and Matt Prior chipped in with their scores of 128 and 93 respectively to help their side to help their side score huge.

Defending the total, England dismissed Bangladesh on 216 and took a 203-run lead. Tamim Iqbal was the sole fighter from Bangladesh who played a 108-run knock. Along with his opening partner Imrul Kayes, the southpaw built a 126-run partnership. James Anderson, who was spearheading England’s bowling unit, picked up Iqbal’s wicket.

With the healthy lead, England captain Andrew Strauss enforced the follow-on. This time, Anderson again hunted Iqbal on two on the second delivery of Bangladesh’s second innings. Following Iqbal’s scalp, Anderson dismissed Zunaed Siddique and Mohammad Ashraful as well. England won the match comfortably by an innings and 80 runs and Anderson picked up four wickets in the success.

7. Australia (2013)

James Anderson vs Aus 2013. (Photo Source: (Getty Images Gareth Copley)

England hosted the Ashes 2013 and taking advantage of home conditions, the hosts won the first two games. In the third Test in Manchester, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Against the quality Aussie side, James Anderson ended his first innings wicketless. Australia looked confident in the innings and scored 527/7 as their skipper Michael Clarke chalked up 187 runs.

In reply, England could score only 368 runs in the first innings, riding on Alastair Cook’s 62, Kevin Pietersen’s 113, and Ian Bell’s 60. In the second innings, Australia went ahead with a 159-run lead. Unlike the first innings, Anderson succeeded in picking up a couple of scalps this time.

The veteran got rid of the Aussie wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and Mitchell Starc in his eight-over spell in the second innings. Australia declared their innings on 172 and gave a target of 332 to the hosts. In the end, the Test match concluded in a draw and the Aussie skipper Clarke became the Player of the Match for his sensational 187-run innings in the first innings.

6. India (2014)

James Anderson vs India. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

In 2011, India toured England for a five-match Test series to clash with the Alastair Cook-led English team. After three matches, the series was level with both teams winning one game apiece. In the third Test, England vanquished the visitors by 266 runs and with this colossal triumph, the hosts were looking to continue their aggressive cricket in the fourth Test.

India skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and put his team to bat first. James Anderson, along with his bowling partner Stuart Broad, produced fire with the ball and folded India on 152. Broad took six wickets in the innings while Anderson sent three India batters Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja back to the pavilion on ducks.

After dismissing India on a low score, England’s batters also displayed their confidence and scored 367 runs in the first innings. With the 215-run lead, England bowlers rode high on confidence and ceased India on 161 in the second innings. This time, Anderson got the scalps of Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli.

5. Pakistan (2016)

James Anderson vs Pak. (Photo Source: Gareth Copley Getty Images )

Pakistan toured England for four Tests, five ODIs, and a T20I in 2016 and the Misbah-ul-Haq-led side won the opening Test at Lord’s by 75 runs. After facing a loss in the first game, England made a comeback in the tournament, beating the visitors in the second match at Old Trafford by a huge margin of 330 runs.

In the second game, England won the toss and elected to bat first. Skipper Alastair Cook and Joe Root stood tall in the crucial game and contributed 105 and 254 respectively to the team to put up a massive score of 589/8 in the first innings. England’s bowlers defended the score with confidence, wrapping up Pakistan on 198. Anderson, the leader of England’s pace attack, took Shan Masood’s wicket in the innings.

Despite a 391-run lead, England refused to enforce the follow-on. In the second innings, England amassed 173 runs on the board and gave a target of 565 runs to Pakistan. Defending the total, Anderson came heavily on the visitors, dismissing Shan Masood and Azhar Ali early. The pacer picked up Asad Shafiq as the last man in his 16-over spell and ended up with three wickets in the second innings.

4. South Africa (2017)

James Anderson vs Sa. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

In 2017, South Africa visited England for three ODIs, three T20Is, and four Tests. After three Tests, England were ahead by 2-1 and in the final game at Old Trafford, the visitors were required to beat the hosts to avoid ending up losing the series. In the final clash, England skipper Joe Root won the toss and put his team to bat first.

With the incredible performances of Jonny Bairstow (99), Ben Stokes (58), Joe Root (52), and Alastair Cook (46), England scored 362 in the first innings. Following the score, South Africa batters struggled against England’s pace attack and got dismissed on 226. Anderson clinched four wickets in the innings, picking up Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis, and Theunis de Bruyn.

In the second innings, England scored 243 runs and gave the Faf du Plessis-led side the target of 380 runs. Root’s bowlers displayed confidence while defending the score, wrapping up South Africa’s innings on 202. Moeen Ali took a fifer and became the highest wicket-taker in the second innings. Supporting the off-spinner, Anderson also hunted three batters.

3. West Indies (2020)

James Anderson vs West Indies. (Photo Source: Cricketnext Staff )

In 2020, the West Indies visited England for three Tests. Following the four-wicket loss at the hands of the Caribbeans in the opening Test in Southampton, England made a comeback in the second Test with their emphatic 113-run victory at Old Trafford. Manchester hosted the last game as well and this time, England included James Anderson in their playing XI.

West Indies captain Jason Holder won the toss and invited England to bat first. England batters took the Windies bowling unit to the cleaners and posted 369 runs on the board in their first innings. In reply, the West Indies could rack up only 197 as England’s fast-bowling unit was too hot to handle for the visitors.

The local boy Anderson bowled a 16-over spell in the first innings and took a couple of wickets. With the heavy lead of 172 runs, England were now looking to create more pressure on the Jason-Holder-led team. English batters executed this task efficiently. After scoring 226/2, England declared their second innings and gave an enormous target of 399 runs to the opponents. Pursuing the score, the Windies team got bundled out on 129. Stuart Broad (4/36) and Chris Woakes (5/50) picked up nine wickets together, while Anderson went wicketless.

2. Pakistan (2020)

James Anderson vs Pak 2020. (Photo Source: AP Photo Alastair Grant Pool )

Pakistan toured England in 2020 for three Tests and three T20Is. The opening Test was conducted in Manchester and the hosts England kicked off their campaign positively with an intriguing three-wicket win. Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali won the toss against his counterpart Joe Root and elected to bat first.

Riding on Shan Masood’s 156 and Babar Azam’s 69, Pakistan amassed a decent total of 326 in the first innings. From England’s side, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes took three wickets apiece but James Anderson took the crucial wicket of Babar Azam and showcased his experience and skills.

However, when England’s batters came out, they struggled in front of Pakistan’s tight bowling and succumbed to 219. With the 107-run lead, Pakistan had the opportunity to win the match but England’s bowlers took the matter into their hands and folded Pakistan on 169. Except for Anderson, all bowlers succeeded in clinching scalps from England.

1. South Africa (2022)

James Anderson vs South Africa. (Photo Source: © AFP)

In 2023, England and South Africa clashed with each other in the second Test at Old Trafford. The opening Test went to the Proteas by an innings and 12 runs, and following this heavy defeat, the Manchester Test became do-or-die for England. In the second game, the toss favoured South Africa and they decided to bat first.

England bowlers received a positive start in the match as the trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Ben Stokes wrecked South Africa’s batting unit with their fierce pace bowling. Anderson emerged as the most effective bowler for England in the first innings, picking up 3/32 figures in his 15-over spell. The marvellous bowling performance emboldened England’s batters as they completely dominated the Proteas’ bowling attack and scored 415/9 in the first innings.

With their spunky performance in the first innings, England were now in a commanding position with a 264-run lead. In the second innings, Anderson continued his form and delivered an early breakthrough in the form of the Proteas’ skipper Dean Elgar. After the South Africa captain, Anderson hunted Simon Harmer and Kagiso Rabada as well. In the end, England emerged victorious by an innings and 85 runs and Anderson became the leading wicket-taker in the match with six wickets.