James Anderson thinks bowlers must be creative if wicket is unresponsive

• James Andersen of England says it’s critical to consider unconventional approaches when looking for wickets on unresponsive pitches
• The 40-year-old batsman expressed his happiness at being back in Pakistan while speaking to the media in Rawalpindi ahead of England’s maiden Test match against Pakistan
• It would be the nation’s first match on Pakistani soil in 17 years

The only player on England’s team who visited Pakistan 17 years ago is James Andersen. The fast bowler claimed that by observing Pakistan’s Test matches against South Africa and Australia, the England camp attempted to gauge the local playing environment.

“We’ve been talking quite a lot about what the wicket might be, we’ve looked at the Australia game early this year, we’ve looked at the South Africa game from last year. So, trying to just get ideas of what to expect when we got there on Thursday. And, as we always do, as a bowling group, we try and talk quite a lot and I can just about remember that tour last time, so I’m trying to wrack my brains for how those wickets played but I think we’ve got to try and have a fairly fresh open mind on Thursday and try to adapt well to the conditions,” he said.

“The guys understand how bigger at all this is in terms of world cricket, not just the two teams that are here. So yeah, we’re delighted to be here and excited to get going on Thursday,” he added.

The seasoned England cricketer responded that trying to find something in unresponsive pitches is a skill of a test cricketer when asked if it would be tough to locate some support on unresponsive wickets.

He advised, “You’ve got to try and find ways to take wickets.”

“I think the introduction of Ben as captain and Brendon as coach has also helped in terms of thinking outside the box in terms of field settings and plans that you use on the field. And, I think we might have to think outside the box a little bit over the next few weeks,” Anderson added.

The bowler responded to a query by saying that England’s team is aware of the challenge Pakistan can present them with throughout the series. He continued by saying that as a bowling unit, they are not concentrating on one or two players because they think Pakistan’s batting lineup is formidable.

“We know how stronger their batting lineup is from one to eight. So, we’ve got to make sure we’ve got plans for all of them. We’re well aware how important Babar is for Pakistan being the captain as well as I’d say their best player. So, we will give him attention but also, we need to focus on the other guys as well, because they’re very strong,” he said.

The fast bowler responded that he has never set a goal and will continue to enjoy playing cricket as long as his body permits him to do so when asked whether he has any milestones in mind before hanging up his boots.

“I’ll try to do it as best I can as long as my body will let me, and we’ll see where we end up in the future. Unknown; it can be for six months, a year, or two years. The future? I’ll just keep working to stay in shape. Keep doing good, keep giving the team weeks, and watch what happens,” he said.

Also Read

People excited for Pakistan-England Test Series: Marriyum

 Marriyum Aurangzeb said the entire nation was excited for the historic Test...