England succumbed to a two-wicket loss in the first Test against Australia in the ongoing Ashes at the Edgbaston Stadium on Tuesday, June 20. One of the veterans in England pacer James Anderson was not at all happy with the pitch on offer in the first Test.
“There was not much swing, no reverse swing, no seam movement, no bounce and no pace,” he wrote in The Telegraph UK. “I’ve tried over the years to hone my skills so I can bowl in any conditions but everything I tried made no difference. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle."
“There was a bit of rustiness but I gave it everything I could. Having played for a long time, I realise you can’t take wickets every game. Sometimes it is not your week. It felt like that for me. It’s a long series and hopefully, I can contribute at some point, but if all the pitches are like that I’m done in the Ashes series.”
But the pacer did admit that he was unhappy with his own performance against Australi. He also recalled why he was not given the second new ball late on the final day as the match between the two arch-rivals went down to the wire.
“I know I wasn’t on top of my game this week. It was not my best performance. I know I have more to offer and contribute to the team. I want to make up for it at Lord’s and all I can do is turn up on Sunday and prepare to play,” he wrote.
“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.”
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