England pacer James Anderson said that his side’s performance in the last four Tests has been incredible and he’s ‘itching’ to get back to the fray for the upcoming series against South Africa.
England’s new era in Test cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has taken the cricketing world by storm. They first whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 and then thrashed India by 7 wickets to win the rescheduled match that was postponed last year due to Covid-19.
In all four matches, England displayed a staggering performance and pulled off incredible chases, including their highest when they chased 378 runs against India.
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England’s aggressive approach has been lauded by many and it's fair to say that in the last four matches, they have replied to all the critics that they have faced in the last year.
England will now return to action on Wednesday (17th August) at Lord's in the first Test against South Africa.
Speaking during the press conference ahead of the first match, James Anderson said that he’s excited to get back to the action. He recalled England’s last four Test wins, saying that not only on the field but the energy was brilliant even in the dressing room.
“I've been itching to get back in the dressing room to be honest. Those four Tests were incredible. Obviously what we did on the field was great, but the energy in the dressing room was brilliant,” James Anderson said.
Anderson said he's the happiest he has been in a long time, adding that England don't need to get "unstuck" and just keep working hard in the current direction.
"I felt as happy as I have done in an England dressing room for a number of years, so the last five weeks I've just been itching to get back in there.
“I don't think it has to come unstuck at all. If we keep working hard at what we're doing we now know we've got the ability to chase anything down and we've got the ability to take wickets in any conditions,” he said.
Anderson said that although they will struggle at some stages but sticking with a positive mindset will prove right for the team. He added that his side needs to be smart.
“There may be times when we can't go hell for leather with the bat and maybe we have to soak up a bit of pressure at times and just be smart about when we put pressure back on the opposition.
“I think if we add that into our already entertaining mindset and be proactive and aggressive in the nature we play I think we can keep doing it,” he said.
With the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and others in the South African side, it’ll be interesting to see if England will continue their aggressive approach or not.
(AFP inputs)
