James Anderson says he was ‘annoyed’ by Ben Stokes’ praise for England’s bowlers for ‘consistently coming in’ during the Ashes – insisting that hard work and ‘effort’ should be non-negotiable.
The series was built up as a potential classic coming into the first Test, but within just eleven days of cricket it was all over as Australia claimed an unassailable 3-0 lead with victory in Adelaide.
There was some respite for the English fans as Ben Stokes and Co secured a first Test win in Australia in 15 years in Melbourne, but Australia roared back to triumph in Sydney, ending the series at 4-1 in their favour.
England’s questionable preparation and performance – as well as their off-field behavior in Noosa – saw Brendon McCullum’s position as head coach come under increasing scrutiny as the tour progressed.
However, the 44-year-old Kiwi confirmed he was keen to continue in the aftermath of the latest Test. However, he stressed that he had no intention of “completely tearing up the script” if he was allowed to continue.
According to Anderson, there were some ‘positives’ to take away for England’s bowling attack, which was without Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for most of the grueling tour.
‘There are a few positives. I thought Archer bowled very well when he played. There were questions about his fitness,” Anderson – England’s all-time leading wicket-taker – said on the latter Tailenders podcast.
‘Wood was also a disappointment, he was injured in the first Test, [Gus] Atkinson bowled quite well without getting much reward in the first few games.
‘[Brydon] Carse is someone who hasn’t bowled much with the new ball and he was asked to do that in the last three Tests when Atkinson and Archer got injured, so you could see that.
‘Carse can do that, but I don’t think he’s there yet, he needs more attention.
“I don’t think he opens the bowling for Durham so he needs more attention, especially in Australia where the Kookaburra ball is so important in the first five to 10 overs when you know he’s going to swing a bit.”
After calling on his side to show ‘a bit of dog’ ahead of the third Test, England captain Stokes applauded the spirit and determination of his bowling attack – comments that irritated Anderson.
“That actually annoyed me a little bit when I saw Stokes come out and say it that way [Josh] Tongue and Carse were constantly running into it,” he said.
‘I had a Roy Keane moment. I thought, “It’s your job!”… it is! If you’re not willing to run all day for your team, don’t bother, you’re in the wrong sport.”
According to Anderson, England bowlers should look at Mitchell Starc’s unwavering performance in the series as an example to follow.
‘Starc was clearly the standout player of the series. He bowled as fast as he bowled on day five of the fifth Test [at the start of the series]144 kmph – that’s as fast as he bowled during the series,” he explained.
‘He was consistent with his speeds, he’s robust enough and he’s clearly more experienced than the England attack, but that’s what you expect from all your bowlers. That’s the standard.
“It always irritates me: ‘I can’t fault your efforts’… well, the effort should be nothing. The effort simply has to be within you.’
Former wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior echoed Anderson’s comments and underlined that maximum effort should be a must for the England players at all times.
“It’s not an under-10s football tournament where everyone gets a medal for showing up. You are not at that level,” he said.
“Effort is a non-negotiable: try hard, don’t give up.”
Should Brendon McCullum stay on as England head coach?
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