"I am not thinking about the future" - James Anderson adamant over recovering from poor run of form in AshesÂ
Veteran England bowler James Anderson asserted that he is not looking too far ahead into the future after a bleak start to the 2023 Ashes. The right-arm pacer has only picked up three wickets in the first two Tests and has looked far from his best.
Anderson ended up wicket-less during the fourth innings of the series opener at Edgbaston. He was surprisingly not in the scheme of things as England looked for options to wipe up the tail to gain a series lead. In the most recent Test at Lord's, he picked up one wicket each across two innings and was not perceived as a threat by the Aussie batters.
Stating that he is solely focused on the upcoming third Test at Headingley in Leeds, Anderson wrote in his column for The Telegraph:
"I am not thinking about the future. The future for me is just thinking about Thursday and the start of the next Test. That is as far ahead as I will look. I have said it before, even when doing well, that I do not look too far ahead."
Anderson was part of an all-seam bowling attack in the second Test. It will be interesting to see if England stick with the same approach and whether the veteran pacer has done enough to retain his place in the playing XI.
"I cannot remember having two such quiet games in a row for at least the past 10 years" - James Anderson
James Anderson's incredible longevity and consistency have made him one of the greatest bowlers to have ever graced the game. He has continued to defy age, arguably bowling at the top of his level, with his recent No.1 ranking proving the same.
He has excelled under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum's regime so far and apart from his usual exploits at home, he made a mark in tough subcontinent conditions of late as well.
Admitting that his lean patch could not have come at a worse time, Anderson wrote:
"I will be honest. You want to contribute in the big series and I cannot remember having two such quiet games in a row for at least the past 10 years. But I do not think I am bowling particularly badly; I am just going through a lean patch, which you do not want to happen in an Ashes."
Adding that his age has nothing to do with his poor form, Anderson continued:
"It comes with the territory at my age for people to speculate about my future. I am saying lean patch but it is only two games out of 181. But I understand. It is a high-profile series and you get put under the spotlight a bit more and the easy target is to say he is getting on a bit. But the reason I have not taken wickets is not because of my age."
Anderson has picked up 43 wickets in 11 Tests at Headingley, Leeds at an average of 26.21.
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