James Anderson, Marnus Labuschagne
James Anderson [Image-Getty]

Champion England seamer James Anderson may have achieved almost everything that this game has to offer but he still gets his competence juices flowing whenever he comes up against high-quality batsmen.

Anderson returned to County cricket last week during Lancashire’s encounter against Glamorgan at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester and the narrative of the game was built around his duel with Aussie run-machine, Marnus Labuschagne.

Labuschagne, whose career trajectory has taken a consistent upward path since his 2019 stint with Glamorgan, has been the most prolific Test batsman in the past 18-24 months, having scored heaps of runs in both domestic and international cricket.

James Anderson, Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne after being dismissed by James Anderson [Image-Twitter]
And, so, when he took his guard against James Anderson for the very first time in his career, there was a lot of intrigue about the winner of the duel.

And, as has been the case throughout the majority of his career, James Anderson got the better of the batsman as Labuschagne nicked off for 12.

After winning the duel, James Anderson, on expected terms was chuffed to bits, so much so, that he pulled off one of the best one-liners in recent times.

Anderson compared bowling to Marnus Labuchagne with a boy trying to impress a girl in the club

”You want to create a good impression and stamp your authority on that battle. It’s nice to get the first blow in.I’d never bowled at him before,” said Anderson. Then came the punch: “It’s like when you see a girl at a club and you try to play it cool. You want her to be impressed. You start dancing to the Stone Roses while your shoes stick to the floor.” James Anderson told BBC Podcast ‘Tailenders’.

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The battle between James Anderson and Marnus Labushagne will be the one to watch out for in the upcoming rounds as the duo warm-up for the Ashes later this year.

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