Lancs have done England proud!
JIMMY Anderson says he is ‘immensely proud’ that Lancashire have played such a key role in ensuring England will play Test cricket this summer.
Emirates Old Trafford’s Hilton Garden Inn is home of the West Indies squad for the next two weeks as they see out their quarantine period and start training for the series against England.
After the first Test at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl, starting on July 8, they will return to Manchester for the second and third games, starting on July 16 and 20.
With Pakistan yesterday confirming they will also fly to England for their Test and T20 series, and with Australia and Ireland also scheduled to play one-day matches, Emirates Old Trafford could host up to 20 days of international cricket this summer - although almost certainly it will be behind closed doors.
And Anderson, who has been training at the ground for the last three weeks in preparation for the West Indies, says the club are playing a key role in the future of English cricket following their bold £60m transformation of the venue.
He said: “I’m immensely proud. It’s great for the club to be able to help put international cricket on in such a strange time.
“It means all the hard work they have put in over the last few years, getting the ground up to speed, getting the hotel put in - now, it is a bio-secure cricket ground which I don’t think Lancashire thought would be used to describe it - but it’s brilliant they can help.
“A lot of work over the last few years has paid off.”
After nine months of injury frustration which saw him miss the bulk of the Ashes and have to cut short his tour of South
Africa, Anderson is keen to show he is still a long way off retiring.
“The five wickets at Cape Town helped me,” said the 37-year-old. “If there were ever any doubts about retirement, it certainly told me I was able to keep going, I am able to perform at the top level.
“I think that’s really important for me at this stage of my career.
“As long as I can prove to myself that I am good enough to keep playing, good enough to keep my place in the team, then I will keep going.
“The last year has been frustrating for me. Before that, my injury record was pretty good. I’m hoping it was just a dodgy 12 months and hopefully my body is in a good place now.”
Anderson admits, however, he has struggled to get used to the new Covid19 rules which ban players from using spit on the ball to help it swing.
He is even planning on wearing a headband to stop him touching his face to wipe away sweat.
He said: “For me it’s a natural habit, to put saliva on the ball. It’s been interesting to try and stop myself doing it.
“Fortunately in Manchester we get quite a lot of rain so I’ve been able to shine the ball on the grass and find some moisture that way. I don’t think it’s going to be a huge deal for the players, we’ll be able to repair the ball well enough for it to swing.
“It will be difficult. But with the last three weeks we’ve had training and the four weeks we’ve got before the first Test, hopefully we’ll get into habits where we don’t use saliva on the ball.”