Anderson stands up to be counted

England v West Indies, 2nd npower Test, Chester-le-Street, 3rd day
Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	James Anderson showed swing and tenacity, and confirmed his leading role for the Ashes

Andy Flower has made it clear in the early days of his official reign that only those with strong character and a big heart need apply to take on the Australians later this summer. Those with suspect temperaments will not be considered. He made a statement by leaving out the likes of Ian Bell and Steve Harmison, who have previously been accused of lacking the necessary ticker, in favour of those he feels have the bottle required.

If you'd looked at the England side only a couple of years ago and tried to pick out those who had what it takes, James Anderson's name wouldn't have been anywhere near the top of the pile. However, over the last 12 months he has gone from the quiet man of the England team to an attack leader of some stature. His opening spell here was a prime example, where he had complete control of his swing and took out three top-order wickets.

When he returned to the side against India, mid-way through 2007, he said he wanted to be the captain of the bowlers. During the winter tour to the Caribbean, during a low-key and almost anonymous practice session, the squad was split into two teams. The choice of each captain was fascinating. Stuart Broad led one side and Anderson the other. The captain of the bowlers had become a captain in his own right. It probably wasn't an insight into a future role - bowling captains are a rare breed in international cricket - but Anderson has clearly become a senior figure.

Yet, it isn't only with the ball and in the field that Anderson's growth as a player has become apparent. He has taken over the role vacated by Matthew Hoggard's departure as England's nightwatchman and has still managed to extend his extraordinary run of never collecting a duck to a world-record 48 innings.

The merits of the nightwatchman role are there to be debated and Steve Waugh certainly wouldn't approve of England's desire to protect the specialist batsmen in any situation. Flower has admitted it was wrong to use Anderson in the second innings in Antigua, where the lead was already over 300, and a strong case could have been made here of a negative choice when he walked in at 282 for 2.

However, Anderson rarely lets his team down when told to do the job despite often coming in when the quick bowlers have their tails up with a new ball. No bowler gets more excited by the sight of Anderson walking out than Fidel Edwards. "I'm not sure what I've done," he said. "He just seems to crank it up each time I bat and I seem to get a few words. I honestly don't have a clue what is going on. I really didn't want to get out to him."