Jimmy Anderson: ‘No one in the world can cope with us at our best’

J immy Anderson is about to feature in his 10th Ashes series and, in the postwar era, no man has done so more times. Colin Cowdrey played 10 between 1954 and 1975, while Steve Waugh’s nine between 1986 and 2003 is the most for an Australian. Yep, here comes the latest longevity based landmark for old Jim.

There is a small matter of a minor groin strain to overcome first, Anderson requesting an extra match with Lancashire last week to get up to speed only to feel a twinge in the area. “Not a good twinge,” he says, meaning that while he could be ready for the Lord’s Test against Ireland that starts on 1 June, he may not be risked.

All being well, though, a remarkable cricketer who turns 41 on the penultimate day of the men’s Ashes should hit double figures in terms of series against Australia. While it doesn’t count towards the tally, Anderson also represents a link to the glorious summer of 2005 when the country went cricket gaga – he was an unused squad member for the epic denouement at the Oval.

So many wickets and records have fallen to Anderson since and he is no longer the shy, sometimes monosyllabic, character off the field he was back then and, provided England can maintain their scorching approach under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum over the past 12 months, he predicts only one outcome when the urn is up for grabs once more.

Anderson says: “Australia are naturally extremely competitive and aggressive. They’ll have discussed [our tactics] and have their own plans and ways of how they are going to cope. I just think if we do what we’ve been doing and play as well as we possibly can, I don’t think anyone in the world can cope with it.”

It’s a punchy assertion, coming during a promotional event for sponsors Radox