James Anderson Talks Ashes, Sledging and More After Bowling at Bleacher Report

The first Ashes Test is a little over a week away, and England star James Anderson limbered up by taking aim at Bleacher Report.

It took Anderson a mere five balls to work his way through B/R’s defences, but things will be far tougher when the 32-year-old spearheads England’s attack against Australia.

Anderson, who is currently sharpening his skills at a training camp in Spain, has had a break from the game since England’s thrilling Test series with New Zealand.

In an ideal world, Anderson would have got some County action under his belt with Lancashire, had the schedule allowed, but he is confident of being at full tilt for the series opener in Cardiff on July 8.

“Ideally I would have played a game for Lancs, but the way the fixtures have fallen, Lancs have had a week off championship cricket, and we then go to Spain for the training camp,” Anderson told Bleacher Report as he faced the media at an exclusive Slazenger Cricket nets session at the Oval. “It’s just the way it has worked out, and you have to deal with those things.

”Fortunately at 32, I am confident I know my game and can work on my fitness and build up the intensity.”

Watching Anderson pepper a series of journalists, which was reminiscent of a coconut shy, he did not look far short of his peak.

During his short break, Anderson has had his eyes firmly fixed on England’s progress in the shorter form of the game.

After an abject World Cup, England turned things around to beat New Zealand in a thrilling ODI series.

It was high-octane, high-scoring, entertaining cricket, and Anderson feels the momentum gained can only benefit the Test side.

“I thought it was fantastic,” Anderson said. “From a spectators’ point of view, it was brilliant; I watched all the games.

”I think we started to turn the corner in the Test series with New Zealand, the likes of Ben Stokes and Joe Root playing very aggressively in the two Tests, and that was carried on into the one-dayers, and I think it is great to see a group of young guys going out there and expressing themselves.

“We have some very talented cricketers in this country, and it is great to see them go out and express themselves, and hopefully that aggressive mentality can continue into the Test matches against Australia.”

There’s a strong likelihood that the Ashes may be won by the strongest bowling attack. England were blown away by Australia’s battery of pace bowlers 18 months ago, and the likes of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Ryan Harris will carry a huge threat once again.

Slazenger

Anderson concedes that England have not had the same success with the ball as Australia in the past 18 months and do not have the same level of experience, but the man with 403 Test wickets to his name does not feel there is a huge gap to bridge.

“I would say the attacks are not too dissimilar,” Anderson said. “Australia have a bit more experience in their attack. If you look at our last Test attack, I don’t know what the team for the first Test against Australia will be, but in our four-man seam attack, we had Ben Stokes and Mark Wood. They are quite new into Test cricket so there is a bit of inexperience there, so I guess the Australians have more experience and have had more success than us in the past 18 months.

"I think it is a good opportunity for us as a bowling group to show we have a lot of skill. We have a point to prove, as if we are to win the Ashes, we have to outdo their bowling attack.

"They are in a fortunate position in that they can leave a top-class bowler out,” Anderson said in response to a question about the possibility of Australia leaving out Harris or Johnson. “We are in a not-too-dissimilar position with Steve Finn and Mark Footitt, really exciting bowlers, and we have to leave someone out.

"The form that Australia have shown makes them favourites, but it is up to us to show that we can match them.”

Recent Ashes clashes have had plenty of niggle. Australia captain Michael Clarke was caught on camera telling Anderson to “get ready for a broken f*****g arm” during a heated exchange at the Gabba in 2013.

That sort of incident was in stark contrast to the recent series between England and New Zealand, which was played in excellent spirit with plenty of smiles on faces.

Anderson is unsure how the Ashes series will play out, but claims England are ready to adapt to any challenge.

“The way teams play, you react to how the other team is,” Anderson said. “The New Zealanders play that way, with a free spirit and a smile on their faces. They are competitive in the field but play it in the right spirit, and I guess that rubbed off on us.

“Going into an Ashes there is a bit more on it with the history there, it is a big series for both teams, but we have to look at what is best for us.

"What has worked for us in the Tests and ODIs against New Zealand was guys going out with smiles on their faces, and we’ll see if that continues.

“I think the way the game is going that sort of thing (sledging) is gradually disappearing. In the past I have been guilty of sledging and have been on the receiving end. That has been part of the game, but maybe it is slowly filtering out.

“Looking at the New Zealand series, the scoring was high, and the cricket was attractive for the spectators, so that probably helped guys play with smiles on faces. Hopefully that can continue.”

While plenty of focus will be on the seam attacks, spin is sure to play a part. Australia have an established twirler in Nathan Lyon, while England may well have to rely on the relatively untested Moeen Ali.

England still have to fill the void left by Graeme Swann’s retirement, and while Anderson says comparisons between the two are unfair, he feels Moeen can play a big role this summer.

“It is a bit unfair to try and compare Moeen with Swanny, as Moeen is a batsman who bowls,” Anderson said. “Mo has done a fantastic job for us in the past year or so, he bowled brilliantly last summer, but he is still learning and developing. We have got to accept that he is still growing as a bowler.

”It does put more responsibility on the seam bowlers, but we are confident that on a third-, fourth-, fifth-day wicket Moeen can do a job.”

The bookmakers have Australia as favourites to retain the Ashes, and Anderson can understand why that is the case, but confidence is beginning to course through the camp.

Bleacher Report did its bit for English cricket by building Anderson’s confidence with the ball. In roughly seven days, we’ll see if it paid off.

James Anderson was speaking on behalf of Slazenger Cricket while facing off against the media at an exclusive nets session. Anderson will be using the Slazenger V1200 bat during this summer's Ashes.