Jimmy Anderson could go vegan in bid to prolong career: "I'm going to investigate every possible avenue"

SAM MORSHEAD AT THE OVAL: Anderson has missed the vast majority of the Ashes series with a calf injury and is set to embark on a period of rehabilitation as he looks to prove his fitness for England's two Tests in New Zealand later this winter

Jimmy Anderson is considering a vegan diet as one of several options as he looks to extend his career for as long as possible.

Anderson has missed the vast majority of the Ashes series with a calf injury and is set to embark on a period of rehabilitation as he looks to prove his fitness for England’s two Tests in New Zealand later this winter.

After a hugely frustrating summer - Anderson managed just four overs in England colours - the Lancashire seamer is desperate to find a way of keeping his body in peak condition.

And veganism is one potential route.

The meat, fish and dairy-free lifestyle has been adopted by several prominent sportsmen across the world, including Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe, who credit it for their performance levels and longevity.

Anderson has not ruled out joining them, as he tries to give himself the best chance of adding to his 149 Test appearances and 575 wickets in the years to come.

"I actually have chatted it through with my wife actually - she's not keen," he told the media at The Oval on Tuesday.

"I'm open-minded. I'll give anything a go if it prolongs my career.

^{Jimmy Anderson has been struggling with a calf injury}

"When I start this rehab, I'm going to try and investigate every possible avenue of what do I need to do at my age to keep myself in good shape. I feel in really good condition. I feel as fit as I ever have. 

"It's just the calf keeps twanging. I'm going to look at every possible thing I can to make sure I can play for as long as possible. I'll look at how other sportspeople have done it throughout their careers to keep going into their late 30s. 

"Whether there's anything specific I can do, diet, gym programme, supplements, whatever it might be. Because I've still got a real hunger and desire to play cricket. I still love the game and still feel like I can offer something to this team and still have the skills and can bowl quick enough to have a positive effect."

Anderson is determined he is nowhere near done with his England career just yet, but he is reconciled with the fact that his body is not what it once was and, as such, he needs to work harder to sustain peak levels of fitness.

"It'll be an ongoing process through the rest of my career, trying not to eke out every last drop," he said.

"I still feel like I can be the best bowler in the world. So as long as I've got that mentality I'm going to keep pushing myself. Keep trying to improve my skills with the ball, work hard at my batting, and try to find every possible thing to help me stay fit."

There have been suggestions in some corners that it might be worth Anderson considering his retirement after a stop-start summer. But the 37-year-old is still far too in love with the game, and with taking wickets, to let that thought cross his mind.

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"I'm realistic. If I'm not good enough and feel I'm detracting from the team and I'm too slow, or whatever it might be, then I'm not going to embarrass myself or drag the team down.

"I'll only keep playing if I think I can be one of the best bowlers in the world and if I think I can help this team win games of Test cricket. I'm not just blinkered thinking I’m going to just drag out as many possible games as I can."

For now, though, Anderson is resigned to a place in the stalls instead of on centre stage, with England looking to tie the Ashes at 2-2 with victory in London this week.

England's record wicket-taker is hoping for a playing surface more to the home side's liking at The Oval.

"I think (the pitches in this series) have probably suited Australia more than us. I would have liked to have seen a bit more grass but that's the nature of the game here," he said.

"When you're selling out - like Lancashire selling out five days of Test cricket - it's hard not to produce a flat deck but, you know, that's one of the frustrations from a player's point of view. "We go to Australia and get pitches that suit them. They come over here and get pitches that suit them. It doesn't seem quite right.

"Even like last year - I thought they were good pitches here against India. I thought they weren't green seamers but I thought they suited us more than India. We as a country or cricket team, cricket board, don't use home advantage enough.

^{Anderson will consider veganism along with several other diet and lifestyle options}

"When you go to Australia, go to India, Sri Lanka, they prepare pitches that suit them. I feel like we could just be a little bit more biased towards our own team."

Whether or not green-tinted tracks could have derailed Steve Smith's express batting service this summer is another matter.

Smith has racked up 671 runs in just five innings and, with another bumper haul at The Oval, could feasibly overhaul the great Don Bradman's record return for a five-match campaign.

Anderson has not bowled at Smith in 2019, but knows what it is like to come up against Australia’s unconventional talisman.

"He's very frustrating to bowl at. You think you have a chance against him, especially in English conditions with the moving ball. There hasn't been a huge amount of grass on the wickets, not a lot of seam movement throughout the series," he said.

"He's an incredible played. He's mentally tough, he's unorthodox, he's got a great eye and you feel like he's got a lot of time, which is the worst thing from a bowler's point of view.

"There are not many players who do that in the world. I don't think anyone has had as much dominance on a series as he has on this series - to score more than 300 runs than anyone else is just phenomenal. Sometimes you've just got to take your hat off.

"We've tried a lot of things to him, I think we've bowled pretty well at him and he's just been better than us. We've just got to accept that."