All for one and one for all: Four wonderful fast bowlers,1,584 Test scalps for England
WHEN BEEFY & WILLIS MET ANDERSON & BROAD
WITH 1,584 Test wickets between them and occupying the top four places in the England bowling chart, Mirror Sport columnist Sir Ian Botham sat down with former team-mate and Sky Sports pundit Bob Willis for a chat with James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Thoughts on last week and the records broken? Stuart Broad:
It was an interesting week – the first day/night Test match, but it was brilliant to win inside three days and it was a special moment to go past this legend. I remember Jimmy doing it in Antigua and how much it meant to him and the team for him to get to that level. Sir Ian Botham: ham: I’ve been thinkingng back to when I gave Stuart his cap in Colombo and I was sat on 383 wickets and thought no one is going to worry ry me there, then hen Jimmy cruises past and now Stuart – and I love it. That is what records are there for – to be broken, although I’m safe on the runs and the hundreds I think! James Anderson: It is not really about the records for me, I just really enjoy playing cricket. The momentsmomen I’m going to rememberrem are having in a beer after a seriess win. The recordsr are great because theyt mean you’vey done well personally,pe you’ve stayedstaye in the team and you’ve contributed to victories, but it is the moments you share together that stick with you. How important are partnerships in bowling? Bob Willis: Having a good partnership is very important. You need a workhorse to run uphill, bowl into the wind. You need a muscular man and that was Beefy’s job. Mike Brearley ( left, with IB) had him bowling 41 overs one day from one end. IB:
And where were you while this was going on? Sat on a chair under a cold shower in Sydney. BW:
Well, there’s brains and there’s brawn. SB:
Jimmy probably has the brains because he gets the wind! Most grounds have cross winds, but Headingley is the worst for running uphill and into the wind and actually we bowled at the wrong ends for nine years here. I was uphill and never got any wickets, Jim was downhill and never got any wickets and then we swapped last year and Jim got 10-45. IB:
I remember back in 1981 I got the wind and the slope. We swapped after Bob said to Brears (skipper Mike Brearley) ‘Is there any danger of me coming down the hill with the wind?’ And he took 8-43 with it. BW:
I was fourth change that day! There is a lot of baloney talked about captaincy, you’re only as good as the bowlers you have at your disposal. And
even in this chat you can tell that bowlers are far more interested in the team environment rather than individual glory. Batting is so much more of an individual activity.
What is the long-term effect on the body? IB:
We walked up this steep mountain the other day in Derbyshire and we got into the car no problem. We drove here and when we got out there was me creaking out of one side and Bob crawling out the other and then we’re doing exercises and stretches against the car to get ourselves moving again! BW:
You two have got all this to look forward to. IB:
Batsmen don’t have these problems. They might have a broken finger occasionally, but the bowlers who do the work – the guys who actually run in and bowl – it does take its toll and you do suffer down the line.
What about your other common interests? BW:
We have a few common interests, Beefy and I produce some wine with our friend Geoff Merrill from Adelaide, who has vineyards in McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. SB:
We’ve not seen any of this! Although I do have my own pub in Leicestershire.e. IB:
Oh right. Near Trentnt Bridge, is it? SB:
It is about 20 minutes away. We’re open for business, I’ll be happy to give you five per cent off !