Ashes 2013: Five reasons why England will win the second Test at Lord's

James Anderson of England celebrates the wicket of Peter Siddle of Australia during day two of the 1st Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia

1. James Anderson

Anderson claimed all four wickets that remained to be taken on the last day of the Test match and bowled longer spells than usual bearing the extra burden for the benefit of his team. His ability to be a threat at all stages of the match is exceptional.

He threatens with the customary swing of the new ball, by hitting the seam to derive a bit of movement off the surface before the ball starts to reverse swing. His combination with Graeme Swann has been compared to the combination of Warne and McGrath that Australia had when they monopolized the Ashes prior to 2005.

There is an argument that England are overtly reliant on James Anderson which might have some substance to it as Broad and Finn failed to make much of an impact in the first Test but that won’t hinder the bowling spearhead from doing his job at Lord’s.