James Anderson's Best Test Performances outside England by country

4-66, 3-61 and 7(35) vs Australia at Sydney, January 2011.

Anderson and team celebrate yet another Australian wicket, 5th Test, Day 5 at Sydney on 7 January 2011.

England would have had to wait more than 24 years to win an Ashes series in Australia, had it not been for Anderson's 24 wickets at 26 apiece. Though the seamer took four-wicket hauls in all of England's wins, his seven wickets and 41 minutes at the crease with the bat in the series decider sealed the deal for his team. England was 2-1 up in the series but had to ensure they didn't lose this match, for their first series victory in Australia after 1986-87.

In Australia's first innings, Anderson put brakes to Australia's lower middle order - taking the wickets of Brad Haddin, Steve Smith and Peter Siddle in the space of 46 runs. His four-wicket haul in the first innings was backed up by a solid opening stand from his captain Andrew Strauss and England's golden bat for the series - Alastair Cook. But when his team lost three big wickets of Strauss, Trott and Pietersen on the final session of Day 2, Anderson was sent in as the night watchman.

He batted out the remainder of the day, and saw off the first hour on Day 3, settling the nerves of his team and his partner Alastair Cook. Though he did not score many runs, his innings provided a cushion to not only Cook - who scored 189 - but also Ian Bell and Matt Prior who scored a century each. A 364-run lead in the first innings was good enough to ensure at least a draw.

In their second innings, Australia was looking to build a partnership with Usman Khawaja and stand-in captain Michael Clarke both getting off to starts. After a 65-run partnership between the two, Jimmy got both caught behind off Prior within seven runs, which set off a mini-collapse. Peter Siddle tried to change things with Steve Smith's support but holed out to a catch from Anderson in the deep after an 84-run partnership. Three overs later, he got the wicket of Hilfenhaus, again caught behind. Three overs later, Tremlett bowled Beer and England won by an innings and 83 runs.

England's series victory was remarkable in the sense that it came against the world champion side which had humiliated them 5-0 on their last tour. Ricky Ponting captained Australia during the first half of the series, but nobody could stop England from retaining the Ashes urn, just months before the World Cup. Anderson had finally come of age.