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Monday 25 July 2011

Anderson takes five for 65 as England bowl India out for 261 at Lord's to go 1-0 up in four-match series

James Anderson took five for 65 as England claimed a 196-run victory over India on the final afternoon of the opening Test at Lord’s on Monday.

With England needing nine wickets to secure victory Anderson proved the home side’s hero by taking five, including those of Rahul Dravid (36), VVS Laxman (56) and Sachin Tendulkar (12).

While Anderson’s performance on the final day was nothing short of brilliant, captain Andrew Strauss preferred to praise the overall team performance.

“I think over the two innings it was as close to the perfect bowling performance as we have had in the last two years,” Strauss said. “That’s saying a lot because we have bowled exceptionally well quite consistently.”

Strauss also paid tribute to the 22,000-strong crowd that turned out at Lord’s to cheer every ball. “I think it was a great atmosphere. We all appreciate playing Test cricket in front of full houses,” he continued.

“It makes you feel like you are doing something important and that every wicket taken or run scored is appreciated. The bigger the crowds we have over the course of the summer, the better.

“It’s a pretty worthless pursuit comparing teams but what I like is that there are no obvious weaknesses in our team and that was the case in 2005 as well.”

Meanwhile, England have named an unchanged 12-man squad for second Test against India, which gets under way at Trent Bridge on Friday.

“There was a lot to be pleased about from the opening Test at Lord’s,” said National Selector Geoff Miller. “We saw some excellent performances with both bat and ball which resulted in an outstanding win on the final day of what was a memorable match.

“While the squad from the first Test all came through unscathed we have included Tim Bresnan in the squad for this next Test and he’ll once again be pushing for selection following a short turnaround in between Test matches.”

England squad for second npower Test against India at Trent Bridge

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) (captain)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Kevin Pietersen (Surrey)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Chris Tremlett (Surrey)
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

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