Men's Ashes 2023
Jimmy Anderson reckons an "incredible" and "explosive" Ashes series awaits in the English summer – and hints at aiming for a return Down Under in 2025-26
PA
18 January 2023, 11:23 AM AEST
The ageless James Anderson is already licking his lips at the prospect of an "explosive" Ashes summer.
Anderson's tally of 177 Test caps puts him second on the all-time list behind India's Sachin Tendulkar but, at the age of 40, he is still weighing up future challenges rather than reliving past glories.
Newcomers and veterans alike have been energised by England's new attacking approach and Anderson anticipates a blockbuster series when Australia arrive later this year.
"It's exciting to be in this team. Whoever we play it's going to be fun, we're going to give it a good crack and Australia in the summer could just be incredible," he said.
"I can't see them (the Australians) doing anything but going toe-to-toe. They're going to fight fire with fire and that's going to make it so explosive and exciting.
"There is something wrong with you as a player if you didn't enjoy this way we're playing."
In December, Anderson celebrated his 20th year as an international player and said he has been reinvigorated since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum overhauled England's entire approach and, with it, their results.
Stripping away fear of failure and replacing it with a desire to entertain has carried the team to nine wins from 10 Tests.
Anderson hailed the leadership and conviction of Stokes, citing the skipper's insistence a weary bowling group be excused an audience with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after a late invitation in Rawalpindi last month.
"He just went, 'The bowlers aren't going, they need to recover'. He's strong enough to do that," Anderson said.
"I've always had him down as a lead-by-example guy. But he is just incredible, the emotional intelligence around the group, managing the players. I didn't know he had this side to him."
Anderson, though, could easily have walked away before Stokes' revolution even began, having been surprisingly dropped alongside Stuart Broad for the preceding tour of the West Indies.
"There was definitely a moment when I thought that could be it. There was a bit of anger and disappointment," he said.
"I was just trying to make sense of it and not make any rash decisions.
"I was speaking to Broady quite a bit then too. There was a bit of anger and disappointment. That not knowing – Is that it? Do they want to move on and get younger blood in? – but thankfully we both thought we'd start the season with our counties and see if we still had the hunger for it, which we both did."
Asked how long he intended to keep playing for, the 40-year-old brought up the 2025-26 Ashes tour of Australia.
"I think definitely the way to do it is not to look too far ahead," Anderson said. "If I go 'you know what I'll give Australia another crack in Australia' that, at the minute, seems miles away.
"But actually if I just look after myself, try and bowl well, try and take wickets then that might creep up and I think all of a sudden 'actually I can do another trip there.'
"There might be a time when I think 'you know what? That's stupid, I'll be 42 and the shit I'll get from the Australians will just be unbearable.' I'll see how it goes.
"It's just nice to be in this group and to feel wanted, to feel like they want you play in the team. So as long as that feeling is still there and I've still got the hunger I'll keep going."
2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK
First Test: Friday June 16-Tuesday June 20, Edgbaston
Second Test: Wednesday June 28-Sunday July 2, Lord’s
Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley
FourthTest: Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23, Old Trafford
FifthTest: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval
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