‘My body has not let me down’ – Anderson

James Anderson insists he will be fit to play a role in England’s Test tour of India next month, even though he is unlikely to start bowling again for another three weeks as he continues his recovery from a long-term shoulder injury.

Speaking at Lord’s ahead of the NatWest OSCAs, Anderson admitted his frustration at missing out on the Bangladesh leg of England’s campaign, following a stress fracture of his left shoulder blade that caused him to miss the first Test against Pakistan in July.

However, he took umbrage at the suggestion that – at the age of 34 and with 463 Test wickets to his name in a 14-year England career – his body is beginning to struggle with the intensity of his international workload.

“I feel fine,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a frustrating injury where everything feels good, the rest of my body feels great, but as soon as I try to bowl I’ve got a bit of pain there. It’s something that’s going to take a few more weeks to rest and recover. I’ve got another scan in three weeks to see if it’s healed enough for me to start bowling.

“I’m not going to miss the entire trip, no,” he said. “I’m very confident I’m going to be involved in the India series, it is a frustrating injury, something I want to get right, but it does happen in cricket, in sport, you get injured, you’ve just got to deal with it, and hopefully I can get as fit as possible as soon as possible.”

Despite Anderson’s optimism, the timescale is a concern, with England facing five Tests against India in the space of six weeks, starting in Rajkot on November 9, one week after the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour.
Anderson has not bowled in a competitive fixture since the fourth Test against Pakistan at The Oval in August, and with no warm-up games scheduled for the early weeks of the India leg, there will be scant opportunity for him to regain his match fitness ahead of one of the toughest assignments in Test cricket.

What is more, having not missed an England Test through injury since the Sri Lanka series in 2011 (at Edgbaston in 2012, he was rested alongside Stuart Broad for a dead-rubber against West Indies) Anderson has now had to sit out four of England’s last 16 Tests – two against Australia in the 2015 Ashes, and one each against South Africa and Pakistan.

His situation is such that Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, admitted after the squad’s arrival in Bangladesh earlier this week that he “didn’t know” whether to expect Anderson’s return at any stage of the tour, adding that he may require careful management over the next 12 months if he is to survive a hectic schedule that culminates in next year’s Ashes tour of Australia.

Anderson, however, disagreed vehemently with that assessment – much as he had done during the Pakistan series, when his protestations of fitness ahead of the Lord’s Test were over-ruled by England’s selectors and medical staff.

“No, I don’t think like that at all,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of injuries here and there in the last 18 months, which is pretty much all I’ve had in my career. I don’t think that’s going to deter me from wanting to play in every single game that I possibly can.

“I love playing the game, I love playing for England and I don’t want to miss any cricket. I’m sure that the management and medical team will have different opinions to me, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it down the line.

“I don’t think my body has let me down in any shape or form,” he added. “I feel as fit as I ever have, I feel very strong, the rest of my body I’ve been working hard on, I’ve done a lot of running, and I’m confident that I can come back fit.”

There’s little doubt that England would dearly love to have Anderson back for what promises to be an intense contest, as India – the newly-crowned No.1 Test team – seek to avenge their home-and-away defeats in their last two series against England.

‘I don’t want to miss any cricket. I’m sure that the management and medical team will have different opinions to me.’
In spite of those who maintain that Anderson loses his impact away from England’s green seamers, his record in India stands up to scrutiny – 22 wickets in seven Tests at 29.81, including matchwinning spells in Mumbai in 2006 and Kolkata in 2012. He knows that his experience with the new ball could be crucial in helping to guide the fortunes of a talented but largely untested attack.

“Do I have to prove myself?” he said. “I’ve enjoyed bowling out there, it’s a huge challenge as a seam bowler, and I think that gives you more fulfilment and satisfaction if you do do well.

“Certainly myself and Stuart [Broad], having been there before, we’ll need that experience when it comes to playing in that series, as we’ll have plenty bowlers who won’t have been there before, so we’ll have to help the guys settle into that environment as quickly as possible.”

Recent contests between England and India have been understandably feisty affairs, and Anderson – who became embroiled in an ugly row with Ravi Jadeja during the last series in 2014 – expects this next campaign to be little different.

“We are two teams that play with great passion,” he said. “I watched the India-New Zealand series recently and you could see the passion the India side has got, led by Virat Kohli.

“We are a very similar team in that respect. We go out there wanting to win and we play with a lot of passion. And when two teams play like that, then inevitably you are going to get some fieriness on the field.”

As for the Jadeja row, he added: “That’s in the past. We shook hands at the end of the series and, for me, that was the end of it. And I think for him as well too. I’m sure there will be battles between individuals when we are out there, but hopefully it will be with bat and ball.”

In the meantime, however, the focus will be on England’s fortunes in Bangladesh, and in Anderson’s absence, it may fall to the breakthrough star of the English summer, Chris Woakes, to exploit what little movement may be on offer on what are expected to be slow and low wickets at Chittagong and Dhaka.

“What he brings with bat and ball is crucial to the balance of our team,” said Anderson. “He’s an amazing talent, he can swing the ball both ways, he can reverse the ball, and he’s got pace so he’s got everything you need to be successful.

“And he’s been working on subtle variations – offcutters, legcutters – that you need out there. He is crucial to the balance of our team, he brings depth, and I’m sure he’ll go from strength to strength in the next few years.”