Anderson tells Aussies it's his time to boogie

By Andy Wilson/London

Watching his dad’s video of England’s 1981 triumph as a boy. Turning his bedside radio off in disgust as Australia dominated throughout his school years. Going close to a call-up for the decisive Oval Test in 2005, then wishing he had missed the disastrous tour that followed in 2006-07. And seeing a young Michael Clarke dancing in a Lancashire nightclub.

Anderson’s transformation from an erratic young quick to a master of his swing-bowling art is epitomised in his individual battles with Australia’s captain, who had held comfortably the upper hand in 2006-07, and even 2009, before he was dismissed cheaply in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney by the Lancastrian during the last series in 2010-11. But the pair go back much further than that  to a Lancashire League game at Acre Bottom, the home of Ramsbottom, in May 2002, two years before Clarke’s Test debut and at a time when Anderson had not even played county cricket.

Clarke, then 21, spent that summer with Ramsbottom, living in Stubbins Lane and already suffering the odd problem with his back. He scored a stack of runs, including a double century against Enfield  but only 12 against Burnley, although he was not dismissed by the future England bowler.

“I can’t really remember the game too much,” Anderson says.  “I remember more seeing him out in the nightclub after.”

The pair were to clash in very different surroundings little more than four years later, Anderson recalling in his autobiography how he had been so irritated by Clarke’s arrogance that he swung a batting pad at his head after England’s defeat in Adelaide in 2006. Now he hopes to exploit the pressure on Clarke as Australia’s captain  although he rejects the suggestion that he stands head and shoulders over his colleagues.

“I’m not sure their batting lineup is that inexperienced,” Anderson says. “In Test matches maybe. But that’s dangerous in itself because they’ve got guys who are trying to prove a point, prove they are worthy of selection, and basically not got much to lose. A guy like Chris Rogers just coming in at 36, he’s nothing to lose at all. (Ed) Cowan’s had a great start to his Test career, Rogers is an extremely experienced cricketer, Brad Haddin obviously coming back into the team  so they’ve got a lot of experience there.”

He has striking respect for Shane Watson, who will open the batting with Rogers. “He’s as good an opening batter as I’ve bowled at in international cricket,” Anderson says. “He’s got a solid technique, strong in a lot of areas  we’ll have to try and figure out some plans and execute them well to get on top of him.”

England did that sort of thing rather well last time in Australia, of course, when Anderson, who went into the series with 17 Ashes wickets that had cost more than 55 each, took 24 at 26.

Before the series Shane Warne had predicted: “He’s going to struggle after the new ball, his Ashes record is horrible.”

After it, Warne, like many other Australians, had serious respect for Anderson for the first time.

“I guess when I first started, it was a strange kind of environment to be in because we kind of knew they were better than us, and we didn’t really expect to win,” Anderson recalls. “So the mindset was all wrong to start with. Over the years things have changed.”

Anderson’s own body language has changed, too. Whereas in the past he struggled to hide his exasperation, now he tries to stay in control, helped by England’s psychologist Mark Bawden.

His first wicket of the series will lift him above Fred Trueman to become England’s third most successful Test bowler of all time, having pulled level with the great Yorkshireman on 307 when completing the 2-0 series win against New Zealand at Headingley in May.

He needs three to overtake Lance Gibbs and four to pass Brett Lee, which would leave Anderson 23rd on the overall list with Bob Willis, second only to Ian Botham in the England rankings, next in his sights on 325.

“I’m not too bothered about the wickets, or the milestones and who I overtake,” he says, convincingly. “I’d love to do it at some point.  Whether it’s in this series or the next three or four I don’t really mind.”