Jimmy: I have no problem with Root over my Test snub
JAMES Anderson took some satisfaction from claiming Joe Root’s wicket at the weekend but scoffed at the implication he held any bad feeling towards the former England Test captain.
The Lancashire seamer and Stuart Broad are set for recalls as England name their squad for next month’s first Test against New Zealand today, a couple of months after being jettisoned for the West Indies tour.
While Root had no vote in their controversial omissions, he was non-committal about whether he agreed with the decision to axe the duo.
The events of the past few months, which included Root stepping down after the Caribbean trip, made for an intriguing subplot as Yorkshire welcomed Lancashire in the LV= Insurance County Championship last week.
Root made a century in the first innings but had two of his stumps uprooted second time around by Anderson, who insisted there will be no awkward reunion as they prepare to share a dressing room again.
“We do talk, we’ve not fallen out, we chatted (during the game),” said Anderson.
“I spoke to him before he announced that he was stepping down. There’s still a huge amount of respect between the two of us, there’s no animosity.”
Even so, was there any gratification at the manner in which he saw off Root?
“I’ve watched the video a few times,” said a smiling Anderson. “The thing I like about it the most is it’s a good ball. It wasn’t intended to be reverse but it’s definitely drifted in.”
Anderson admitted there were occasions when he wondered what was the cause of his axing by interim director of cricket Sir Andrew Strauss. The 39-year-old says he is still to receive an adequate explanation but now wants to draw a line under the issue with England embarking on a new era under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
Anderson said: “You do start questioning other things when that sort of thing happens - ‘Is it something I’ve done around the group?.’
“But it’s history, I’m not bothered about what’s gone on in the past. All I can control is what I do in the future and I’ve got to try and prove that I’m still good enough to play international cricket.
“Whether it’s for Lancashire or England, I’ve still got the ability to take wickets and I want to keep doing that.”
The expected returns of Anderson, who has taken 11 wickets in three championship matches this season, and his long-time opening partner Broad are a fillip for England amid a fast bowling injury crisis.
Red Rose team-mate Saqib Mahmood is out for the summer with a stress fracture and joins a raft of absentees ahead of a three-Test series against New Zealand, with the Lord’s opener starting on June 2.
While Anderson branded Stokes a ‘natural leader’ and McCullum a ‘really exciting’ appointment, he cautioned against rising expectations from an England side that have won one of their last 17 Tests.
“We’re at quite a low point at the minute as a Test side,” he added. “We’re going to have to do something serious to be able to turn it around and get back up towards where we want to be. I don’t think that necessarily happens overnight. We’ll just have to see how they want to approach it. With (McCullum and Stokes), we’re never going to take a backward step.”