I will keep on sledging! Gabba was the most hostile atmosphere I've seen... backchat is one of my key weapons to beat Aussies

By James Anderson

PUBLISHED: 17:30 EST, 30 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:30 EST, 30 November 2013

The atmosphere on the field during the last hour of the first Test in Brisbane was as hostile as I have experienced. It was all on. Mitchell Johnson was getting right into us with the ball, and he and the rest of his team-mates were getting into us with their chat.

The stump mic picked up what the Aussie captain Michael Clarke said to me - that I should get ready for a broken arm - and he ended up being disciplined for it.

But I have absolutely no problem about any of what the Australians were doing on the field. I probably dish it out more than most in the field, so I generally get it back more than most. I expect it and accept it.

Niggle: James Anderson and George Bailey have words in the middle on day four of the first Test

Niggle: James Anderson and George Bailey have words in the middle on day four of the first Test

If someone says something to me, I am not going to back down. Whether it’s defending myself or standing up for one of my team-mates, that is the way I play the game. But if I choose to play like that when I bowl, then I’ve got to take whatever comes at me when I bat. Certainly it seemed to be no holds barred from the moment I went out there.

What happened on the field is how the game is, and not one of our players or management uttered one word of complaint. I regard sledging, chirping, whatever you want to call it, as one of the weapons at my disposal. I think my bowling is helped by the way I go about things.

I try to get myself into a battle. It heightens my concentration. Certainly in the past few years I think I’ve developed it as a skill and it has helped me take the wickets that I have. 

Pointers: Michael Clarke was fined for telling Anderson to 'get ready for a broken f***ing arm' in Brisbane

Pointers: Michael Clarke was fined for telling Anderson to 'get ready for a broken f***ing arm' in Brisbane

Guys like Stuart Broad, Steve Finn, Boyd Rankin and Chris Tremlett have got a big physical presence and can bowl bouncers from out of the sky. I don’t have that, so I have to find other weapons and try to impose myself on the opposition.

The first thing and last thing I’m trying to do is draw the batsmen out of their comfort zone, to distract them from what they are trying to do, to get them out of their normal routine, to make life as uncomfortable and give me a better chance of getting them out. The minute they start chirping back then I think that I’m on to a winner. 

And obviously I’ve got to back that up with my skills, because if you’re chirping and getting smacked around the park, you end up looking like an idiot. We want the game to be played with real intensity, but we know that there are boundaries, a line not to cross and, as hard as we want to play it, we respect the game of cricket. 

Officials: Umpire Aleem Dar listens to Anderson on the Gabba pitch after the blow-up with Clarke

Officials: Umpire Aleem Dar listens to Anderson on the Gabba pitch after the blow-up with Clarke

Sometimes, certainly after the game with what happened with Jonathan Trott, you sit down and think, is it actually that important? But when you’re out there and batting, all you are concentrating on is trying to win the game and, in this case, one of the most important series in our careers.

I’m not interested in claim and counter-claim of who said what to whom, but one piece of misreporting I do want to correct was that when I went out to bat with Broad at the end of our first innings, I said to him: ‘I’m not jolly well facing  Mitchell Johnson.’

Or words to that effect.

I’m afraid to say that is complete hogwash. I never said anything of the sort. Obviously, when I go in at No 11 it stands to reason that we will have a better chance of scoring runs or batting out time if the batsman at the other end takes most of the strike. That’s because, as my place in the order suggests, he is a better batsman than me. But the suggestion that I said I didn’t want to face Johnson for any other reason is just nonsense.

Hogwash: Anderson denies reports he said he'd prefer to avoid facing Mitchell Johnson when he batted

Hogwash: Anderson denies reports he said he'd prefer to avoid facing Mitchell Johnson when he batted

The bottom line from our point of view is that what happens on the field stays on the field. And at the end of the game, I shook every single Australian player’s hand, as we all did.

We weren’t good enough that week. We played poorly, Australia played better than us and deserved to win.

Contrary to what some have said, from our point of view there’s no personal animosity towards any of the Australian players. We have the utmost respect for them.

That’s why we got upset when David Warner came out with those criticisms of Jonathan, not just because of the situation he was in, but also because it’s disrespectful to a fellow professional cricketer.

As for Trotty, he needs time and space to get away from it all and concentrate on getting better.
I don’t know how many guys were aware of his problems but the people that matter were and have been for a while, so he has obviously been getting help already. He knew how important this series was for the team and for himself, and I thought it was an amazing effort for him to actually try to come out here, given the situation he’s in.

Time: The entire England set-up has thrown its support behind Jonathan Trott, who's left the tour

Time: The entire England set-up has thrown its support behind Jonathan Trott, who's left the tour

He’s an absolutely fantastic bloke and everyone in the team has the utmost respect for him, especially to come out and admit there’s a problem.

He is where he is at the minute. He needs to get himself right. He has been crucial to the team on and off the field since he started playing, so we just hope that he can get things sorted and, when he is ready, put a shirt on again.

I was out here when Marcus Trescothick had to fly home from the 2006-07 tour, and certainly since then, the issue is more commonly spoken about and less of a taboo subject.

Credit where it's due: Anderson says Australia played better and deserved to win in Brisbane

Credit where it's due: Anderson says Australia played better and deserved to win in Brisbane

But for now we have to concentrate on getting back on track at Adelaide starting next week.

About this time every tour I am asked why we are such poor starters in overseas series and I still haven’t managed to come up with an answer. In the lead-up, though, we had a bit of rain, guys made hundreds, spent time in the middle and we thought everyone was in a good place.

Even at Brisbane we had a decent start in bowling them out for less than 300 on a flat deck.

So we’re still in a good place. When you look around the dressing room and see the talent and the experience, it fills you with confidence.

People have said that we react well to having our backs pushed up against the wall, and it does seem to work out that way. Just for once, it would be nice if we didn’t have to.

Back it up: Anderson knows that he has to back up his words with his skills when he has the ball in hand

Back it up: Anderson knows that he has to back up his words with his skills when he has the ball in hand

 

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Anderson was the reason this all blew up, what a front running sook.

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Didn't do much good against the Saffers though did it. Or those negative tactics. Thank god for Amla's glorious summer

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Giving lip is part of any sport and in life.The problem is some people can give it but can't take it.A la the English cricket team.Though I don't care for Anderson,he gets my respect for his attitude.

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Look at all the English cricket fans bagging their own player for having a go, playing hard and giving it back to the Aussies. Obviously know nothing about cricket. Stick to football riots.

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Sledging happens in almost every sport in the world where players have time to speak to each other. Obviously won't happen during play during tennis or badminton, but it goes on in rugby, football, cricket, american football etc. The aim of the game, especially when playing at such as standard as Anderson, is to win and if chirping into someone's ear to put them off their game it's fair play. And for those who are saying otherwise, it will happen just as much in football if not more.

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May I suggest Jimmy focus on his bowling, which was impotent in the First Test, rather than waste his breath while he is batting or writing newspaper articles.

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ou go sulking to the umpires like a little girl?

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"backchat is one of my key weapons to beat Aussies" ------- Says a lot when not even you have faith in your own bowling to make that your key weapon against the Aussies. This is not the school playground. You get paid lots of money to represent your country by bowling not hurling insurts.

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Harvestmoon obviously has NEVER been out of Glasgow. Skin cancer and very high temperatures like 40 plus degrees - not like your high of 17.That is why people in Australia wear protective hats and anti sunburn cream.

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The Poms are whinging already and the game hasn't even started yet.

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