James Anderson: "We need to actively make this a game for everyone"

HUW TURBERVILL: The England bowler is back in training ahead of the three-match Test series with West Indies and he has been asking himself what he can do to take a more active role in the fight against racism

James Anderson expects England to show solidarity with their West Indies counterparts when international cricket finally begins this summer.

He has been thinking deeply about the Black Lives Matter campaign, and remains appalled at how team-mate Jofra Archer was abused in New Zealand last November.

As Anderson steps up his training ahead of the opening Test at the Ageas Bowl on July 8, he said: “Absolutely I expect that to be a conversation we will have. It's been a thought-provoking few weeks for everyone. It's made me do a lot of thinking. We will have conversations about what we can do as players to make a stand, definitely.

“It’s something as players and a game we need to be more active. It’s made me think, ‘Have I experienced racism on a cricket field?’ I couldn’t remember any instances. I wasn’t there in New Zealand when Jofra was racially abused. It made me think, ‘Have I turned a blind eye to things?’

“I’d try to support my team-mates if they did suffer abuse but have I been active in supporting them on things like that? That’s really what I’ve been thinking about. I saw the stat that George Dobell put up that there’s only one black player who’s come through the state system in county cricket and that’s just not okay. We need to actively make this a game for everyone. It can’t keep going the way it is. It’s just not okay. Is there more I can do as a player to help the situation?”

Anderson is delighted that the series looks as if it’s going to take place. “It's great that we're closing in on getting some Test cricket after a decent lay-off. There was chat among the players saying that there's a chance we’re not going to play this summer. It didn't make me think about retirement or anything, it just made me think we have to keep training in case there is.

“We're very grateful West Indies are here. With what's going on in the world I can imagine it's a scary decision for a lot of them, for all of them, to make the journey over.

“It’s going to be strange to play behind closed doors. We’re fortunate in England that we’re used to playing in front of packed houses for Tests, certainly the first two or three days. But it’s just something we’ll have to deal with.

“We’ve done it before and played in front of small crowds whether it’s county cricket or abroad in warm-up games where you have to find your own energy as a team and you don’t have the fans at 4pm or 5pm when you’re getting tired and they can’t give you the extra boost. We’re just going to have to rely on our imaginations because there will be a lot of people at home who will be right behind us.”

^{Anderson played his last Test in England's win over South Africa in Cape Town}

Anderson is 38 on July 30, and has played an incredible 151 Tests. He feels he has nothing to prove to anyone except himself. "It's not a case of proving myself to anyone else. I think when I played those two Tests in South Africa, it's almost proving to myself that I can still do it.

“The five wickets at Cape Town (in January, his last Test) helped me, 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.

“The last year has been frustrating. 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 to be able to cope with whatever's to come in the next 12. Who knows how long I can keep playing for?

“Training has been going well. Luckily I've got enough space to fit half my run-up in on my drive. So when I came back to training at Chester CC (bowling to Keaton Jennings now) it's not been going in cold.

“There are concerns – we're not going to have had any competitive cricket before that first Test and we've got three in quick succession, so there are obviously things we need to look at in terms of workloads and whether we play all three as bowlers or whether we rotate. The medical staff and coaches are doing their due diligence on that.”

Asked what he will do to make the ball swing without putting saliva on the ball, he said: “It's a natural habit. It's been interesting to try and stop myself. 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. We can use sweat so that's something. I don't think it's going to be a huge deal.”

Anderson is confident Ben Stokes will be a good locum captain if Joe Root misses the first Test on paternity leave. “In the dressing room he has a presence, he has the respect of the team. He's grown in his responsibility and I think he'll do a great job.”

Asked what he has learned during lockdown, he said: “I've been able to spend more time with my kids. I've found out that I'm not a very good teacher!”

Sometimes it’s best just to watch and learn, anyhow, as so many seamers have done studying Anderson over the years. He’s 16 Test wickets away from 600 – few would bet against him achieving that this summer, rotation or not.

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