Cricket: The Game Of James (Anderson)

There is not a single bowler as frustrating as England's James Anderson: on his day there are few in the world who are as dangerous or as good to watch.

The problem is, his day only crops up once every few months.

Today at Trent Bridge was very much James Anderson's day, the best day of his career so far in fact.

It began this morning as he resumed batting on 1 not out, having been promoted to bat at number nine the previous evening. Few could have expected him to last more than a couple of balls; New Zealand would doubtless have expected to get rid of him pretty quickly.

But he hung around nearly all morning, sharing a 76 run partnership with Stuart Broad, contributing a career-high 28 runs himself, and playing some exceptional cricket strokes in the process.

Never before can I recall seeing the crowd rise to a man to applaud a player dismissed for 28 runs, but the Trent Bridge crowd did, and he deserved it.

With England then soon all out for 364, he was given the new ball to bowl with. He struck immediately, with an absolutely perfect delivery to clean bowl Aaron Redmond for just 1 run.

Just a few balls later, he produced an almost identical delivery to bowl New Zealand's danger man Brendon McCullum for 9. It was a truly fantastic spell of bowling.

It got even better later in the day, the 22nd over saw him dismiss Ross Taylor for 21, before trapping Daniel Flynn lbw for 0 off just 3 balls. He went on to add the wickets of Jamie How (40) and Jacob Oram (7) to his collection, leaving New Zealand on 96 for 6 at the close of play.

He presently has six for the innings with four remaining to be taken, and has given himself the chance of becoming the first pace bowler to ever collect 10 test match wickets in an innings.

Although, even if he does not take any further wickets this innings, it is still a career best total for himself and the best figures recorded by a fast bowler in the series so far.

This is doubtless a day he will never forget.

If I didn't know better I would proclaim that James Anderson has finally turned the corner and say that he is ready to step up and become one of the world's best bowlers.

Sadly, I have seen him turn too many corners in his career. His first match last summer saw him produce a startling display, his 5 wickets for 42 runs in the first innings at Lords put England firmly in control of the match. Everyone rejoiced -  James Anderson had finally come of age.

He was not as good in the second innings, and he was poor for the rest of the series. He was dumped after one game of the tour of Sri Lanka following a despicable performance.

Embarrassment for England in the first winter test in New Zealand saw him recalled and he produced the finest innings I had ever seen him bowl, skittling the New Zealand top order and taking five wickets. Everyone rejoiced - James Anderson had turned the corner, he'd come of age.

He was poor in the second innings and for the rest of the series.

It appears to me that James Anderson turns so many corners in his career that he simply goes around in circles, every good innings is followed by a string of bad ones. Never has he strung together a run of excellent matches. I can't even recall seeing him bowl well in both innings of a match.

I genuinely hope, however, that he is starting to get to grips with test cricket. There is no doubt he has the ability to be one of, if not the, most deadly bowler in world cricket, and that is a tool England could very much do with when the Ashes roll around next year.