DON’T REST ME ... I WANT THAT 500th WICKET
England star on joining an elite club, beating Beefy and why he’s not ready to retire yet
Jimmy Anderson winces when reminded he stands the small matter of 13 wickets away from the magical figure of 500 ahead of three Tests where he should be looking to fill his boots against an inexperienced West indies team.
‘i’ll go into this series with the same mindset as against south Africa and just try to do my job,’ insists england’s record wickettaker. ‘i’ll try to bowl well with the new ball and make an impact when the captain brings me back and that’s as simple as i keep it. if i think about anything else i don’t bowl at my best.’
But surely becoming the first englishman to join an elite club would be special? ‘yes, getting to 500 wickets would be a milestone but it’s not what drives me on,’ he says. ‘i’m different to Alastair Cook, who is goal-orientated.
‘ For me the thrill of playing cricket came at old Trafford when we were sat in the dressing room having won a big series. seeing Tom Westley’s face after his first win, dawid malan the same. And Toby roland- Jones. That shared experience is something i’ll never tire of. The joy of winning is what i love about the game.’
We are in a small room at edgbaston discussing how a shy and raw young paceman — straight out of Burnley Cricket Club with a skunk haircut complete with red streak when he made his international debut 14 years ago — came to be standing on the brink of history as england’s greatest ever bowler.
‘it’s been incredible and i’m just grateful i’ve stayed fit and got to this point,’ says Anderson. ‘Playing 125 Tests for england is beyond anything i would have imagined growing up dreaming about playing for my country.
‘When i talk about this i always get drawn back to the team — the people i’ve played with, the friends i’ve made. That means more to me than the amount of wickets i’ve got.’
it was perhaps a little different when he surpassed sir ian Botham’s england record of 383 two years ago. ‘Going past Beefy was very special because no englishman had ever taken that many wickets,’ says Anderson.
‘it was a big deal. Having my family there in Antigua and Beefy waiting for me on the outfield was incredible. reaching 400 was great but not like going past Beefy so i don’t know what i’ll feel when — sorry if — i get to 500.’
There should not really be any doubt. Thirteen might be unlucky for some but it should not be beyond this expert technician to add them if not during tomorrow’s day-night Test then certainly at Headingley or Lord’s.
And the first day-night Test played at edgbaston with a pink duke ball that is expected to offer plenty of assistance, at least under lights in the last session, should give Anderson plenty of encouragement of a productive haul.
not that he was getting carried away after practising with the pink ball under the edgbaston lights on monday night. ‘it was raining a bit so there was a bit of juice in the wicket and it moved around quite a bit but no more than you’d expect a red ball to in those conditions,’ says Anderson.
‘it doesn’t swing as much as the red ball so you can’t just throw it into the stumps and expect it to hoop away late. But it does shape a bit. it makes a different sort of noise off the bat but generally the lads are pretty excited about it.
‘The batsmen said it was quite easy to pick up once you’d got used to it. if the pitch has got something in it we could be in for a really entertaining game.’
Anderson, just turned 35, remains at the peak of his powers as he showed by taking 20 wickets at 14 apiece in four Tests against south Africa and returning to his very best after an injury-hit year.
‘That’s as good as i’ve felt in a long time, certainly consistencywise,’ says Anderson of england’s 3-1 victory. ‘i had a couple of dodgy spells but i felt brilliant throughout, really good fitness-wise, and the ball was coming out nicely.’
yet in may there were concerns whether Anderson would get this far when he collapsed with what looked like a serious groin injury during a roses match after battling back from a bad shoulder problem. ‘it just went completely. The physio said it was an old man’s injury but i’ve been lucky to get to 35 without doing something like that before,’ says Anderson, talking to support natWest’s ‘Cricket has no Boundaries’ campaign.
‘From the moment i stood up i just thought, “Actually, it doesn’t feel that bad”. Luckily it was only four or five weeks out.’
There has been talk england might rest Anderson and stuart Broad if they go two up, to save them for the bigger battles ahead in Australia this winter. But try telling that to Jimmy. ‘i definitely want to play in the last three,’ says Anderson of england’s gruelling run of seven Tests in eight weeks.
‘i’m delighted the way i’ve come through the first four. We’re still developing as a team and to keep on doing that means playing your strongest Xi. Whether the coach, captain and selectors feel differently i’m not sure and if they want to chop and change the team, that’s up to them.
‘We feel we’re making strides as a side and with the Ashes coming up we want to build on that.’
england will have a better chance of winning in Australia this winter if Anderson remains fit and firing.
‘ Having tasted victory down there, i feel we’ve got a really good chance this time,’ he says. ‘We’ll need to be on top form to win but i feel we have the players to compete. i want to be one of them.’
How long will he go on for? ‘i’m still hungry and driven to improve,’ he says. ‘The moment i don’t fancy going to the gym or putting in a bit of extra time on my shoulder that’s when i’ll need to be thinking about whether i should carry on. i want to play for the foreseeable future.’
england hope that will be for some time yet.
‘This is as good
as I have felt for a long time’