London: England fast bowler James Anderson is determined that the coronavirus will not end his illustrious career as he focuses on keeping fit by taking part in ‘virtua’” training sessions with his teammates.
Anderson, 37, whose 584 Test wickets are the most taken by any paceman in the history of the game, is nearing the end of his playing days. But the Lancashire veteran says despite having no cricket to play until the end of May at the earliest, the idea of not bowling professionally again has not crossed his mind.
“I’ve not actually thought about never playing cricket again,” Anderson said during a conference call Thursday. “I feel like we will play again and I will play again at some stage. I’m still hungry to play, I’ve still got ambitions to play for England. I get to play a sport as a job means when I do get to do that again, I’m really going to cherish it and enjoy every single moment of it,” added Anderson.
With Britain under a coronavirus lockdown, Anderson is keeping fit by working out on-line with teammates including fellow pacemen Stuart Broad and Mark Wood. “A few of the lads are training together virtually,” he said.
“I did a workout with (Stuart) Broad and (Mark) Wood yesterday (Wednesday). We’ve all got Pelotons – the bikes. You can compete against each other. Stuart came out on top this time, with me a close second and Wood in third.”
Anderson made the most recent of his 151 Test appearances against South Africa in Cape Town in January before a broken rib ended his tour prematurely. That followed an Ashes campaign last year in which he bowled just four overs because of a calf problem.
England left Anderson out for their recent tour of Sri Lanka, curtailed by the coronavirus, in a bid to get him fit for the English summer. “To get injured again and again was a big frustration,” Anderson pointed out. “But it was lucky in a way that it was a broken rib. If it was a muscle injury it would have taken much longer to recover,” he added.
Despite the frustrations as a cricketer during the coronavirus lockdown, Anderson said it is important to look at the bigger picture. “People are sacrificing a hell of a lot for us to try and keep us healthy,” Anderson asserted. “I think us sacrificing some of, and maybe all of, the cricket season and staying inside for a bit, I don’t think that’s a huge sacrifice,” the fast bowler signed off.
Agencies