It’s possible that pair hunting will end soon. But for the time being, enjoy this duopoly. Sydney Gregory will always be remembered for many things.
He was born on the spot where the Sydney Cricket Ground is now, participated in Sydney’s first Ashes Test from 1894 to 1895, and, most importantly, he has 52 Ashes Tests to his name.
In his Wisden obituary, Gregory is remembered not only as a skilled run-getter but also as a brilliant cover-point. However, he did not bowl.
You have to skip 15 rows until Shane Keith Warne, who has played 36 Tests, appears on that illustrious list. He is not a part-time bowler who just rolled over his arm in the pre-War era.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad, both of whom have played 35 Ashes matches, are listed below his name, side by side. And they are not finished yet.
We are all familiar with the trivia surrounding Broad, 36, and Anderson, 40, the cricket’s most successful and longest-serving pace bowling duo.
Who have combined to take 1,017 wickets in 134 Test matches and are geared up to play their ninth Ashes together, etc. etc.
The list might include everything. Another way to emphasize the endurance and determination of two contemporary greats is by pointing out that they took 15 years to reach one Test.
Compared to Warne’s 14 years. They might end the series with Ashes at home. But England won’t care if it isn’t.
To be clear, Anderson and Broad are not the most effective fast bowling duo in cricket. Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose took an average of eight wickets per game.
Regardless of playing only 26 Tests together, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson arrived at the midpoint of 8.34.
Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding, who took an average of 8.8 wickets per match, were slightly better.
Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis took 559 batsmen out, averaging 9.16 wickets per match, and no one came close to them.
The longevity of Anderson and Broad may have set them apart from each other, allowing modern cricket to preserve a beloved aspect of red-ball cricket: a great pair for bowling.
Several pairs have been used in modern cricket. Although they are captivating together, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc haven’t bowled together for that long.
Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were famous until Bumrah hurt his back. As a result, we are left with Anderson and Broad, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and the dreadful possibility that hunting in pairs will soon be obsolete.
The most thrilling examples of contemporary fast bowling are no longer found in red-ball cricket. An all-year franchise contract has reportedly been offered to Jofra Archer.
Instead of concentrating on bowling 10 balls of good length from the fourth stump, a growing number of pacers are opting to improve their skills in accordance with T20 standards.
Extreme speed is appreciated. However, bowlers who can also hit a six or two are becoming more popular. Boult demonstrates that switching formats to maintain a place in the central contracts is no longer a priority.
Bumrah is a rare exception until he died. However, Broad and Anderson stand tall.
It wasn’t easy to solve this happy conundrum. The rationale behind rotating Anderson and Broad when they only play one format has been the subject of numerous inquiries, the majority of which are pertinent.
However, very few people initially understood the more fundamental purpose.
Being blessed with a once-in-a-generation bowling pair can lead to complacency. Believing that a team will continue to use them until replacements miraculously appear overnight.
All of the major sides have had to deal with this issue at some point. After Anderson and Broad had been quietly phased out of white-ball cricket.
Andrew Strauss and Rob Key, the former and current director of cricket for England, chose to think outside the box.
The plan was straightforward: save them for the most crucial games and construct an attack around them.
Hence the policy of rotation. After being left out of the West Indies tour in 2022, Broad didn’t like it and almost quit.
He did, however, change his mind without even realizing it. Naturally, being paired with Anderson has advantages, such as bowling for long periods of time.
They were able to focus on the one and only job they were offered. Bowling with the red ball, which allowed them to clear their minds.
The ability to recognize a batter’s weaknesses earlier than others came with age. This is why Broad struck out David Warner seven times in the ten innings he pitched in the 2019 Ashes.
The precision of Anderson’s spells was the source of his genius, which left batters, his teammates.
The general public in awe of how much he could change the game with just a slight shift in wrist position or scrambling the seam at the last moment.
What additionally permitted them to thrive in the high craft of crease bowling was the regulatory agreement that they should not be upset.
As a result, they won’t take part in the IPL and won’t be pressured to learn T20 tricks or learn a few shots.
This was one of the few things England did right for a culture that seems so busy perfecting their white-ball motto while trying to redefine Test cricket.