England's Anderson incomparable after another show of swing in South Africa victory

Here he was, on his home track, doing what he does best in what is his now fifth decade on this earth. The setup and then delivery to remove Dean Elgar early on the third day was pure Anderson.

Nipping the ball away before crashing an inswinger into Elgar’s off-stump to set the tone for a day where England wrapped up the second test against South Africa by an innings.

He took six wickets in the match, all from the James Anderson End. It feels a common feature to see him bowling from his own end, it was named that in 2017 after all, but it really should not feel as normal as it does.

This just does not happen in cricket, rarely in sport, where a ‘legend’ of the game continues to ply his trade in front of something named after him into his 40s. 

The Elgar dismissal was peak Anderson, but what really caught the eye was the celebration. Arms outstretched, gleefully running at his jubilant teammates, only to give Elgar a sly, knowing grin. The competitor within the athlete is still burning brightly even after his 662nd test victim. 

His home crowd roared him on, under cloudy skies in Manchester. They are his people, and it is rather baffling he has never taken a five-wicket haul here.

Nevertheless, his threatening swing bowling is still one of the toughests tests in the game for any batter. 

He would finish the day on 664 test wickets, the most by any quick bowler in the history of the game, and during the game he went past Glenn McGrath’s international record of 949 scalps - an incredible feat that shows his skill and longevity in equal measure. 

The End?

England and Anderson now head to The Oval in London for the deciding test with the series evenly poised at 1-1. With it starting on September 8th, both teams will now get some rest before doing battle once again. 

No doubt, Anderson will play if fit. It is unclear how long he will continue on, but he has made no statement to think it will be anytime soon.

He has said in recent interviews that he feels 30 rather than 40, and by the looks of it, he is still bowling like it too. 

Looking ahead, a home Ashes series against Australia next summer feels like the perfect send-off for an England player that has captured the imagination for nearly 20 years.

But if it is to end sooner than that, we should enjoy the remaining times he disturbs the stumps a la Elgar last weekend.