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Jimmy Anderson admits he doubted Test future after West Indies snub

<span>Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
  • England’s leading wicket-taker was left out of Caribbean tour

  • Injuries to fast bowlers could lead to recall against New Zealand


There was a moment during the winter when Jimmy Anderson considered his commitment to Test cricket. It did not last long but, as England’s leading wicket-taker watched from afar while Joe Root’s team succumbed to a 1-0 series defeat in the West Indies, he wondered if his 19-year career had reached its end.

“I definitely questioned it,” he says. “But I think the longer time went on, the more I just, you know … I was still with the [Lancashire] lads doing pre-season training. I was still doing the gym work and wasn’t bored of it. I wanted to be there doing it. Irrelevant of what was going to happen in the summer I wanted to start the season with Lancashire.

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“The [Test squad] has not been picked yet. So we’re just waiting to see what happens with that. If I get a Test call-up then brilliant, but at the minute I’m really enjoying playing cricket.

“I talked it through with my family as well and they saw it as I did, that I’ve got more to give to the game. Whether it’s for Lancashire or for England, I’ve still got the ability to take wickets and I want to keep doing that.”

Any residual doubts – along with Root’s stumps – were shattered on Sunday after Anderson delivered a reminder that he is still capable of dismissing the world’s best batters. It was a wonderful ball, pitched on a good length around a fourth stump line before angling in with a hint of reverse swing. Two splattered poles served as a testament to Anderson’s enduring potency.

“Obviously, the player matters because he was their best player,” Anderson says, resisting the temptation to insert greater meaning in bowling the captain who left him out of his final touring squad. “We’ve not fallen out or anything. I spoke to him before he announced that he was stepping down. There’s still a huge amount of respect between the two of us, so there’s no animosity.”

Jimmy Anderson could be set for a comeback under the captaincy of Ben Stokes.
Jimmy Anderson could be set for a comeback under the captaincy of Ben Stokes. Photograph: Nigel French/PA

Anderson, though, has indulged in watching the replay back several times. And why not? It’s been hard work for bowlers in the County Championship this season. Against dull balls and on flat pitches, sides have registered 20 scores above 500, up from 12 in the entire campaign last year.

Not that Anderson is complaining. He welcomes the challenge and believes tough graft will serve England well as the team – currently bottom of the ICC Test Championship table – starts a new era under the stewardship of Brendon McCullum.

“It’s really exciting,” Anderson says of the New Zealander’s appointment as Test coach, unconcerned with his lack of experience coaching a red-ball team. “He always wants the aggressive option.

“He certainly did when he played and when he captained. I’m sure he’ll bring that from his coaching point of view as well. With him and Ben [Stokes, England’s new captain], we’re never going to take a backward step.

“[Stokes] is a natural leader and the lads all look up to him in the dressing room. He’s the hardest trainer in the group and sets the example of how to be an international cricketer. He’ll be great.”

Stokes and Rob Key, the new director of cricket, have spoken glowingly of Anderson and his perennial partner Stuart Broad, who was also omitted from the tour to the Caribbean. With a long list of injured fast bowlers – including his Lancashire teammate Saqib Mahmood, as well as Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Olly Stone – Anderson looks set for a recall for the first Test against New Zealand next month.