Anderson plays with a smile on his face as he relishes putting in a shift

James Anderson said that he believed he had returned to near his best form after adding another wicket as the second day at the Ageas Bowl was again marred by interruptions for rain and bad light.

Anderson took only six wickets in England’s first three Tests of the summer but, after adding the wicket of Yasir Shah, has recorded figures of three for 48 from 24 overs in Pakistan’s first innings, as the tourists reached 223 for nine. “I’ve felt a lot better this week – both mentally and with the ball,” Anderson said.

“I had some good chats with some of the players this week and did some really good work on my technique as well, so I came in here with a bit more confidence and obviously the wickets helped.

“And I think just remembering why we play this game – it is enjoyby able when you get it right. So I’ve tried to have a bit more of a smile on my face and enjoy being out there with the lads.”

Anderson, who turned 38 last month, said that he was still relishing playing for England.

“What I enjoy about bowling is putting in a shift – doing the hard yards on a good wicket and trying to outfox the batsman and go about things that way.

“I think you get more out of a day on a flat pitch having put a good shift in. That’s what I enjoy, really having to work hard to work a batsman over and get rewards for it.”

Anderson said that England’s focus should remain firmly on picking the best possible side to win each Test, rather than be preoccupied with building for the next Ashes series, in Australia in November 2021.

“I think you should pick a bowling attack to win the game of cricket on that particular surface. Going to Australia, yeah you do maybe need something different, but to be honest, a good ball’s a good ball on any wicket. You still get bounce, you still get seam movement in Australia – it’s not like we’re going somewhere completely alien to English conditions.”

Anderson said that England were developing depth in their pace bowling group, with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood not figuring in the XI for this Test.

“I think the one thing that this summer has shown to us is that we’ve got a really good depth in our bowling group in particular,” he said. “That’s something that over the next 12 months, 18 months we can keep developing and everyone can keep improving, so that we’ve got the ability to beat anyone anywhere.

“That’s what you have to have – you need strength in depth, because there will be injuries, there will be people out of form. So on any given day you need an attack that can win games.”

Anderson said that England were “pretty pleased with where we’re at”, in the second Test, despite the lack of play so far. Only 86 overs have been bowled, fewer than in one full day.

Meanwhile, England have also confirmed the dates for Australia’s limited-overs tour. The sides will play three Twenty20 internationals at the Ageas Bowl on Sept 4, 6 and 8 and then three one-day internationals at Emirates Old Trafford on Sept 11, 13 and 16.

Australia’s extended 21-man squad for the series will leave Perth tomorrow week and then travel to Derby, where they will play four inter-squad matches to prepare for the series.

Glenn Maxwell, who has recovered from an elbow injury, is in an Australia squad that features all the star names, including Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.

Three uncapped players – wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, seamer Riley Meredith and left-arm quick Daniel Sams – have been selected.

“The rivalry between England and Australia is the pinnacle of sporting competition,” said Tom Harrison, the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive.

“These will be thrilling contests and a perfect way to culminate the men’s international season in this extraordinary summer.”

‘What I enjoy is putting in the hard yards on a good wicket and trying to outfox the batsman’