Even with eight wins in their last nine games, James Anderson believes England can keep taking ‘Bazball’ to another level with an Ashes summer approaching, saying that “with the talent we have, we should just keep getting better”.
Anderson was reflecting on a highly successful tour of Pakistan where they claimed a series victory in Pakistan for only the second time in their history and with a game to spare. With just three Tests remaining before the start of the English summer, talk has begun to turn to the arrival of the Australians in 2023.
“It seems a long way away at the minute,” Anderson said. “But hopefully we can keep enjoying ourselves and keep playing the way we are because it's a lot of fun to be a part of.
“The message is the same every week - can we go to another level? Can we keep breaking records? Can we play even more entertaining cricket?
“With the talent we have we should just keep getting better so that by the time the Ashes does come around, we’ll be in a good place.”
Anderson has been rested for the final Test in Karachi with one eye on the series against New Zealand in February and also on next summer. His omission is a surprise but not a shock, as England seek to wring out every bit of the 40-year-old’s ability before his inevitable retirement.
“I'm okay,” Anderson said, confirming his fitness. “I completely understand it with the situation of the series. I feel fine. I feel like I could have played and I told Ben that but he was just thinking about the bigger picture.
“And actually it's only sort of four or five weeks before we go to New Zealand so it's not a huge amount of time. So, with that in mind, I was happy with it.”
England have broken several records in this series with their hyper-attacking style of cricket that has seen them win eight of their last nine Tests having previously won just one in 17. Anderson joked that he received a text from New Zealand’s new Test captain, Tim Southee, which said that the Kiwi’s weren’t sure how they were going to keep up with this new-age England side.
“Maybe the Aussies might be more brash than him,” said Anderson of if he wondered if the Aussies will be feeling the same. “But there might be something deep down, where they're not sure how they're going to approach it against us. Having played against them a lot, I'm sure they'll try to come back just as hard as they can.”
As well as being a fantastic tour for England, Anderson himself has been in as fine a form as ever - bowling impeccably to take eight wickets in two matches at an average of 18.50. His economy rate of 2.20 is the best of any bowler in the series and with 67 overs under the belt, he has also bowled the most of any seamer.
“I feel proud of the work I’ve put in over here,” he said, referring particularly to England’s nigh-on miraculous win in the first match at Rawalpindi.
“Forty-six overs in the first Test, 22 I think on the last day of the game. That’s as good as I‘ve bowled and as important a role as I've played in any team, I think. And to be honest, I think we all feel like that as bowlers.”
If Anderson’s all-round best performance came in the first Test, his best delivery came in the second: a beauty to Mohammad Rizwan that had a hint of reverse swing into the right-hander before it nipped away and clean bowled him. Such was the quality of the delivery that after the game, Rizwan beamed with pride at having been on the receiving end.
"WHAT AN ABSOLUTE JAFFA!" 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) December 11, 2022
Jimmy Anderson, that is outstanding 👏 pic.twitter.com/o8WXppyCal
“It’s always a masterclass,” he said to Sky Sports on facing Anderson. “I love him because of his bowling and obviously I had no answers to his questions.”
On whether it was the best delivery he had ever bowled, Anderson replied: “I think it is probably up there. Just because of where I’ve done it. I’ve bowled similar deliveries in England where you get that seam movement and it happens more regularly than it does in Pakistan.
“So to get that little bit of reverse swing in and it definitely hit a crack, but it looks great on telly. For me it's right up there with one of the best balls I’ve bowled.”
