James Anderson: I didn't write off my Fiat Bravo in Woolworths car park... but I did sleep in it
Ahead of his final Test match appearance next week, legendary England fast bowler James Anderson has opened up about his career with Lancashire and the national side in a long one-on-one interview with friend Matt 'Mattchin' Horan on their BBC podcast, Tailenders.
Burnley-born Anderson, who turns 42 later this month, has played Test cricket for England for more than 21 years and, since making his debut against Zimbabwe in 2003, has gone on to take the most Test wickets by a pace bowler (700), and make more Test appearances than any other English cricketer in history (187).
Famously private and reserved, Anderson has nevertheless cast off his reputation as one of the England dressing room’s grumpier characters in recent years by revealing far more of his jovial side on the aforementioned Tailenders podcast, which he hosts alongside friends BBC Radio presenter Greg James, Maccabees guitarist Felix White, and Matt ‘Mattchin’ Horan.
Speaking to Horan on the podcast ahead of his final Test for England against the West Indies at Lord’s next week, Anderson touched on topics such as breaking bats as a 15-year-old at Burnley Cricket Club, remodelling his action, and his favourite Test captains, whilst also delving into a few of the hijinks he got into as a younger man.
“I’ve been doing some research,” said Horan. “Back on the streets of Burnley - take me back to that day, it’s a big moment for you - you’ve passed your [driving] test. You’ve got your first Fiat Bravo. You go and visit your mate at university, get into an argument, and you have to go and sleep in your Fiat Bravo and use towels as makeshift curtains to stop the morning dawn from coming in.”
“Yep… That’s a random question and a slightly different route than I thought this interview would take!” said Anderson. “My mate went to Durham University so I went to see him a few times while he was there for a night out and a catch up or whatever. There was one spare bed in his dorm and there were two of us who went up - three of us altogether.
“My other mate took the bed - he got back before me and took it - so I tried to kick him out and he told me just to sleep on the floor and said he wasn’t moving,” Anderson said. “I stormed out and slept in my car, which doesn’t sound as bad as you've made it out to be! I did put towels up though, I made a little shelter!”
Moving onto another rumour that the swing bowler - who sits behind only Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne in the list of bowlers with the most Test wickets in the game’s history - wrote off his car in his youth, Horan continued: “Shortly after that, you totalled it going over a bollard too fast in a Woolworths car park, is that correct?”
“Pfft… I don’t remember that,” replied Anderson, to which Horan replied: “I have got that confirmed.”
“Who confirmed that?” asked Anderson. “Or are you not revealing your sources?”
Horan: “It was Gaz.”
Anderson: “I think I did go over a bollard in Woolworths car park, but I don’t think it was written off. Gaz, who you’ve gone to for all this information, is like Jay off The Inbetweeners with his stories, so they might be a little bit embellished!”
Anderson warmed up for his Test farewell this week with a seven-wicket haul for Lancashire in their Vitality County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire. Ahead of his 188th and final Test cap, Anderson completed his preparation for the encounter in style, taking 7-35 as Nottinghamshire were skittled for 126 and forced to follow on in the encounter at Southport.
With Lancashire chasing a huge victory, the Burnley-born swing bowler took 1-29 from 15 overs in Nottinghamshire’s second innings as Lancashire went in chase of a huge victory. A defiant 115 not out from Joe Clarke, however, rescued the visiting side, with the match eventually ending in a draw.
Anderson registered match figures of 8-64 in what could potentially be his final game for Lancashire, with the fast bowler having yet to have confirmed his plans after England’s first Test of the summer.