Anderson bowls England to series victory at Lord’s

London (Reuters): England pace bowler James Anderson took a career best of seven for 42 on Saturday to destroy the West Indies’ batting on the third day of the third test at Lord’s and set up his team for a 2-1 series victory.

James Anderson celebrates with the ball after the match - Action Images via Reuters

After West Indies had been dismissed for 177 in their second innings, England reached 107 for one to ensure they retained the Wisden trophy with more than two days’ play remaining in the final test of the English summer.

Anderson, who on Friday became the first England bowler to take 500 test wickets, captured the key wicket of Shai Hope for 62 immediately after lunch and two balls later bowled Devendra Bishoo for a duck.

He then bowled Kemar Roach for three to better his previous best of seven for 43 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in Nottingham in 2008.

Bowling under clear skies on the third morning of a match in which 23 wickets fell on the first two days, Anderson, with two wickets already from day two, struck twice in the first hour.

Roston Chase was caught behind by Johnny Bairstow for three pushing forward to the fourth delivery of the morning and Jermaine Blackwood fell in similar fashion for five. England’s fielding was again fallible with Broad dropping Blackwood and failing to hold on to a stinging caught-and-bowled opportunity from wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich while Alastair Cook failed to take a catch at gully from West Indies’ captain Jason Holder off the last ball before lunch bowled by captain Joe Root.

Hope, who scored a century in each innings of the second test at Headingley when West Indies squared the series, batted throughout the opening session, playing one glorious cover drive to the boundary off Ben Stokes and brought up hishalf-century with an equally delightful push to the mid-wicket boundary.

But with his dismissal after nearly four hours at the crease, West Indies’ hopes of setting England any sort of challenging target disappeared.

After Bishoo had dismissed Cook lbw for 17 with the leg-spinner’s first delivery of the match, Mark Stoneman (40 not out) and Tom Westley (44 not out), who both needed runs to press their claims for a place in the England side to defend the Ashes in Australia at the end of the year, guided their side home to an untroubled victory.

Stokes was named as the man-of-the-match ahead of Anderson after taking six for 22 in West Indies’ first innings and then top-scoring with 60 in England’s reply.

“To share the moment with guys I have played 100 tests with is very special,” Anderson said. “We set a target of not going for many runs this morning and we are just delighted with the result.”

Anderson on top of the world rankings

AFP: James Anderson’s career-best figures have catapulted the England paceman to the top of the International Cricket  Council’s Test bowling rankings.

The swing bowler produced something of a clinic as he took seven for 42 against West Indies -- a haul that included his 500th Test wicket -- in England’s nine-wicket win at Lord’s on Saturday that saw them to a 2-1 series victory. Anderson has now overtaken India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja to regain the number one spot he most recently held in August last year. The 35-year-old Anderson is also the oldest bowler to top the rankings since Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in July 2009, a feat that ends a memorable season for the Lancashire star who took 39 wickets in seven Tests for England this home season at an average of just 14.1

England’s series win over West Indies kept them third in the Test standings, behind India and South Africa.