"We agreed it was the type of pitch the taller bowlers were getting more out of"- James Anderson on not bowling with new ball in Edgbaston Test
One of the biggest talking points of the first Ashes Test in Edgbaston was how veteran pacer James Anderson didn't bowl with the second new ball towards the backend of Day 5 even when the hosts needed wickets.
While many cricket experts slammed England for this tactic, Anderson defended Ben Stokes' decision by claiming that it was a move well thought through.
In his column in The Telegraph, here's what James Anderson had to say about him not taking the new ball:
"I didn’t take the new ball in the first innings or late on the final day. I had a chat with Ben Stokes about how I felt. We agreed it was the type of pitch the taller bowlers were getting more out of. I was completely on board with that."
James Anderson believes England did all the running in Edgbaston
Although England lost the first Test, James Anderson believes they played an attractive brand of cricket and that it was certainly effective. He feels that England fought hard in the Test and it was just in the end that the Aussies managed to pip them to the post.
On this, he stated:
"It feels like the way we are playing is working. Obviously we know we want to win, we will be judged on the result, but as a team it is good that we are judging ourselves on our performance. We played four and three quarter days of excellent cricket; it is just that Australia managed to get over the line. Even Pat Cummins said he was not sure which side played the better cricket. We know who made all the running."
James Anderson also spoke about how Zak Crawley's first-ball boundary to Pat Cummins remains one of his most treasred Ashes memory. He added:
"It was brilliant, one of my favourite ever moments in cricket. The noise it made off the bat, the reaction of the crowd, the reaction of the dressing room was incredible. It will stick with us for a long time. I’ve seen a lot of first balls in Ashes series and people can be quite nervous. Look at Rory Burns in the last series. For Zak to have confidence to put it away like that speaks volumes."
England will probably need Anderson to be at his very best in the next Ashes 2023 Test at Lord's.