James Anderson. (Photo Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Former England international Ian Bell lavished praises on James Anderson and stated that the cricketer has left nothing to prove as he has been extremely successful in the longest format of the game for over two decades. Notably, in the first and second Test of the ongoing Ashes, the veteran pacer failed to prove himself in the middle and thus, the team management decided to give him a break for the Edgbaston Test.
However, he is all set to make his return in the fourth Test and ahead of the game, Ian Bell mentioned that Anderson will be aiming to prove a point and thus, not to get surprised if he puts up a big performance.
The 41-year-old also believes that the wickets in Edgbaston and Lord’s weren’t friendly for the bowlers and thus, he couldn’t make a significant impact. Bell also pointed out that the surface at Edgbaston had something for the bowlers and thus, he would have been burning inside seeing the win at Leeds. Hence, Anderson will be fired up to prove himself at Manchester.
“He’s got nothing to prove to anyone, he’s shown what he can do time and time again. He has just been incredible, in this series, we haven’t seen the best of him, the first two games had wickets that weren’t helpful to any bowler in that side but knowing Jimmy he would’ve been burning seeing the win at Headingley,” Bell said while talking to Daily Star.
“He would’ve loved seeing England win, of course, but the wicket had something in it and was swinging, seaming, he would’ve been such a handful in those conditions. He is a proper champion and a competitor so I’d imagine that will be burning inside him to make an impact and it’s at his home ground – and he’s said himself it might be his last Test match at Old Trafford. When you talk about the greats like Jimmy, they find a way of writing their own scripts so don’t be surprised if he puts in a big performance this week,” Bell added.
Meanwhile, in order to keep themselves alive in the competition, England will have to win the fourth Test. The team is optimistic but it will be a difficult task for them as Australia have been brilliant, despite being away from home.