CHENNAI: James Anderson's early years in Burnely weren't as eventful as his career is now. Every now and then as his friends found time to play cricket in the summer, Anderson didn't come across as anything special. His friends recall others being more talented than "Jimmy" who with a physique made to pursue any sport was inclined to football before cricket took over.
As India prepare to face England from Friday in the first Test in Chennai amid talks of a green wicket on offer, the homework for their batsmen will begin with Anderson. At 38, he isn't showing signs of slowing down. His mastery only keeps growing as he showed in Galle, becoming the oldest pacer to claim six-wickets in an innings in the sub-continent.
As the 30s arrive, most pacers begin to make adjustments. Even if their mind is willing, their body doesn't respond. The pace is compromised, which is true in the case of Anderson too, but his skillset – swing – remains as potent as ever.
Michael Brown, Anderson's friend since childhood, says it is a testament to the city he grew up in, which was dominated by working-class folks. Day-in and day-out, you tend to repeat what you are good at to make a living. Only thing is Anderson did by swinging the ball both ways.
Brown was among the earliest to get a taste of Anderson's outswingers, the only thing he holds against his dear friend. "James was a late bloomer, and he would be the first one to admit it. It is only by 17, 18 that he concentrated solely on cricket. That's when we realised he was too good to just play League cricket in Lancashire. It was just a question of whether he could refine that rawness and learn some additional skills and stay fit," Brown told this daily.
Since turning 35, Anderson has been repeatedly asked how long can he keep going, but each year he has only gone past new milestones. He begins India series just 13 wickets behind Anil Kumble, third-highest Test wicket-taker (619) in the world. It is a question that even many back home in Burnely keep mentioning when Anderson comes down, but Brown says milestones have hardly mattered to the father of two girls.
"For James, it is more about competition and love of playing the game. He hasn't given any impression to stop playing. For someone who played first-class cricket, James has my respect, not for the milestones, but to keep doing these drills every day for such a long time. It is hard mentally, you get bored, but he keeps working hard whilst travelling and away from his family," Brown said.
It was his mother who dialled up Lancashire to have Anderson included in trials. Even as you begin the topic, Brown interrupts. "Maybe, he got a chance six months earlier, but a talent like him was never going to be missed. He always had the capability to bowl jaffa to good batsmen. From League cricket to bowling in Cape Town in 2003 World Cup, he had rapid ascendance."
When Anderson isn't playing cricket, he drives to Burnley from Manchester to catch up with friends for a round of golf. Until a few years back when Brown was the chairman of Burnley Cricket Club, Anderson was a regular at their dinner events, giving away his kits to kids, and even playing in fund-raiser matches. "He always kept the door open for us. Even now, he plays golf regularly with my brother and dad. We have an event annually where Anderson's close friends play against Stuart Broad's team from Nottinghamshire. We play and like normal guys have a few drinks and head home."
Despite having pace and swing, Anderson's career with England hasn't been all rosy. Stress fractures are fast bowlers' worst enemy and Anderson wasn't an exception. After making it to the England side, he suffered a career-threatening injury, which sidelined him for months. Anderson would then fall back on England's then bowling coach Kevin Shine and Mike Watkinson at Lancashire county to remodel his action.
"When he came in, he was just a young quick bowler, who was not particularly consistent but had the ability to swing the ball at pace. It took him a little bit of time to develop his skills and consistency to become what he is today," said Watkinson.
These days Anderson is one of the all-time greats. One who knows how to put pressure on batsmen by bowling maidens plays mind games with batsmen – deciding which ball to swing, and cutting down bad balls. "He went from this raw fast bowler to somebody who acquired the skills of swing. To be able to trust the ball was going to swing when he wanted rather than some swinging and not, helped his accuracy."
As he refined his skillset, Anderson ended up changing his action a bit, which eventually led to the stress fracture. Watkinson recalls the toughness Anderson showed back then. "He took it as a positive and wanted to refine his action. He decided that he wanted to recapture some of his action from the younger days. He wanted to be a bit more natural and it has worked for him.