It is often said that just the presence of certain individuals within the team can completely lift the morale of the unit and motivate the side. It clearly seems that for England, pacer James Anderson is that candidate, as with him around in the playing XI, England look a champion side and remain unconquerable at home. The second test against Pakistan at Old Trafford was a classic instance as Anderson’s presence made a colossal difference to England’s game plan.
With the third test due to commence on the 3rd of August at Birmingham, the focus from England’s perspective will once again be on the remarkable Anderson. A classic trait about this pacer has been that even if he isn’t as quick as some other pacers, he is still the most effective one. This can be accredited to the fact that Anderson’s ability to swing the ball remains unmatched.
“I didn’t feel like my speeds in Manchester were where they could be,” Anderson said. “I felt a bit like Matthew Hoggard at the end of his career when he slowed down a bit but his control was pretty good.”With the skills I have, I can do a job even if my speeds did drop. With experience you can stay one step ahead in your head. It is like an old defender in football who might not have the pace of a quick striker but he’s two steps ahead of him upstairs.”
The Lancashire pacer admitted that his hunger hadn’t dropped down a bit over the years. “The way I feel at the moment, mentally, I’ve still got a hunger to play the game and a hunger to take wickets and help my team win matches,” Anderson said. “As long as I’ve got that hunger I’m going to keep working, keep improving and keep working on my fitness and if I get to 37 then great. I just try to concentrate on staying fit for the next game. “I thought I bowled well against Sri Lanka. I’m not sure it’s the best I’ve ever bowled but I felt in really good form and I just wanted to build on it, but the injury meant it wasn’t possible,” he added.
England’s leading wicket taker was also quick to say that fitness was an integral aspect and he was working quite hard for the same. “Fitness wise I keep working hard. My practice over the years has gone from searching for perfection to just doing as little as possible. The bare minimum. But when I do practice I try to make sure it’s absolute quality rather than going through the motions. If I don’t practice much I make sure what I do is to the highest quality possible,” Anderson concluded.