Nobody can cope with England at their best, says veteran pacer James Anderson
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ngland veteran pacer James Anderson said that Australia will not be able to cope with England at their very best when they play the prestigious Ashes series, starting from June 16.
Anderson said that they might have to do something different with Australia, but the England team under the leadership of skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum has been able to cope with everything so far.
"I am sure we will have to do something slightly differently against Australia because they might have different plays and whatever else. But we have coped with everything that's been thrown at us so far. It has been exciting," said Anderson as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"They are naturally extremely competitive, aggressive when they play. They will have discussed it and have their own plans and own ways of how they are going to cope with it. I just think if we do what we have been doing and play as well as we possibly can, I do not think anyone in the world can cope with it," added the bowler.
Going to play his 10th Ashes series, Test cricket's third-highest wicket-taker is confident that England can take the urn from Australia for the first time ever since 2015 with their domineering gameplay which has helped them win 10 out of their last 12 matches under Stokes-McCullum.
"If you look at our team, if we play to the best of our ability with that mindset, I do not think anyone can cope with us. So yes, I think we can win. I feel like if we can keep the same mentality and the same sort of feeling in the dressing room we have had. It is fairly relaxed, we are trying to enjoy ourselves, we are trying to entertain people, take the positive option," said Anderson.
In many respects, Australia will be the litmus test for many of the values that England has adopted since the beginning of last summer. A drive to entertain, rather than judging performance purely on winning and losing.
So far, England's mentality has only been called into question once, when they were defeated by New Zealand in Wellington. They had dominated the second Test for the first three days, forcing the Blackcaps to follow on before succumbing by a single run late in the fourth day. Anderson was the last wicket.
Given the passion of the Ashes, will such generosity fly this summer? Stokes told Sky Sports that if England only needed a draw to win the series, he would declare to give Australia a chase in the last Test at the Oval. Anderson hopes that, in light of Stokes' words, the attitude and mindset continue at their peak. Especially given the link between playing fearlessly and producing remarkable results.
"We are going to get the same messaging from Brendon and Ben about how we go about playing. I think there will just be a little bit more attention around it because it is an Ashes series. But I just hope we can play the same way because it has been brilliant to be part of," said Anderson.
"I am excited by the way we've been playing, it is about something greater than the outcome. It is about entertaining people and trying to enjoy ourselves while we do it. The end result has been taken away to an extent in the last few months, and I think that focus on ourselves has helped produce performances and produce results," added the bowler.
Anderson is recovering from a minor groin strain suffered last week during Lancashire's County Championship encounter against Somerset. While the 40-year-old intends to be totally fit for the Ireland Test at Lord's on June 1, he will most likely sit out that match to prepare for the Ashes, which begin on June 16 at Edgbaston.
Anderson stated that "three or four out of five would be more realistic than five" with those five Tests against Australia spread out over six weeks. It corresponds to Ben Stokes' prediction that the hosts will need to call on eight seamers this summer. The skipper will have four options for Ireland, with fast Mark Wood likely to sit out the Test with Anderson.
Australia is sort of a last frontier. Victories over New Zealand, India, and South Africa, as well as a 3-0 series win in Pakistan, have seen them outperform all contenders thus far. While a trip to India in early 2024 will provide an intriguing opportunity to assess how an experimental batting style transfers to turning surfaces, this summer's visiting attack - the best in the world right now - will provide the most severe resistance thus far.
Anderson's recent home Ashes experiences have not been particularly positive, especially during a period when England has not lost a series on these shores since 2003. He strained his calf on the morning of the opening match of the 2019 season (2-2), and he pulled up during the third Test of the 2015 series, which England won 3-1. One can see why he wants to avoid injury by avoiding the Ireland game.
There were two 4-0 away defeats in between (2017-18 and 2021-22), as well as a 5-0 setback six months following the home triumph in 2013, it was Anderson's second whitewash that came following a three-appearance tour in 2006-07.
"For me, I have voided the last three away. Four out of five, I think," said Anderson.
Indeed, Anderson was dropped alongside Broad in the most recent debacle in Australia. When Stokes took over as captain, his first item of business was to recall them.
Since then, Anderson has found a fresh lease on life under a skipper who is more concerned with taking wickets than with sustaining run rates. Though the batting has received the most attention, England has taken the full 20 wickets in all of Stokes' 12 Tests. Anderson, on the other hand, has 45 dismissals at 17.62, putting him just 15 dismissals shy of the 700 mark.
"I am not trying to just bowl into the channel and get him to leave then hope he prods at one in 16 overs time. I am trying to get a wicket every ball. It might sound strange, the whole point of cricket is to get people out as a bowler, but there are different ways of going about it."
"I love it. I think it is great. I've gone from potentially bowling 35 overs in an innings, potentially trying to winkle a few out, to just giving it everything in your spell knowing we are on. There is a better feel, everyone is involved and there are ideas coming from everyone," added the pacer.
Anderson rates Stokes as the best skipper among the eight skippers he has played under during his two-decade-long international cricket career.
"Yeah," Anderson on if Stokes was the best.
"It is hard to say over a short period of time but he has had an amazing start. I think he is completely different from any captain I have ever played with before and I have really enjoyed it. I cannot fault anything really. I think everyone knew that he was a leader, the way he trains, whether it is the gym or whether it is catching or batting or bowling the way he goes about his business, he is the ultimate professional. The way he plays he leaves everything out there. So he is a born leader."
"For me, it is the finer details, not just on the field where his tactical nous has been spot on, but also his emotional intelligence off the field and how he talks to everyone in the group. If he needs to put his arm around someone or fire someone up, he has just got a really good way of doing that. And the way he speaks to the group as well is excellent. I have been really impressed," concluded the pacer.
✔️ Nobody can cope with England at their best, says veteran pacer James Anderson
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