Anderson gives Aussies Ashes edge on home turf
Sir James Anderson believes England are underdogs for the Ashes despite agreeing with former team-mate Stuart Broad that Australia are at their “weakest” for the last 15 years.
After David Warner last month tipped England to lose the series 4-0, Broad hyped up their chances by saying the current Australia team is their worst since the 2010/11 series, when they were beaten 3-1.
England’s record in Australia since then makes for grim reading, with 13 defeats and two draws in 15 Tests, but they head into this series, which starts next Friday in Perth, in optimistic mood.
Their all-time record wicket-taker Anderson still fancies Australia but feels Pat Cummins missing at least the first Test through injury and the uncertainty of their top-order levels the playing field.
“Australia have been so strong and so consistent in their team selection over the last 10 years, that this probably is their weakest team (in the last 15 years),” Anderson told TNT Sports.
“There are doubts around who’s going to bat in the top three, Pat Cummins missing is huge. There are question marks there, definitely, and there are cracks that England could potentially expose. There’s a great chance for England to get on top early.
“I don’t think England are quite favourites, I’d say Australia are still favourites, in Australia. There’s still a lot of quality in their batting line-up, there’s still a lot of quality with their bowlers as well, even if Cummins is missing.
“So I think they probably just edge out England in terms of being favourites, but I don’t think there’s much in it. It’s a tough one to call, so I’d say Australia, just.”
Anderson, who has joined TNT Sports for its coverage of the series, was instrumental in England’s 2010/11 triumph, leading the wicket-taking charts with 24 dismissals at an average of 26.04.
This will be the first Ashes series where Anderson will have no involvement in 20 years but that has not stopped the seamer from thinking about how he would approach bowling to Australia’s batters.
“You look at that Australia batting line-up, and they’re all very, very different in terms of how they approach the game, in terms of their technique and their strengths and weaknesses,” Anderson added.
“I like it, as a bowler, when you can just bowl the same ball all the time, you want everyone to be of a similar standard. But I think Australia have got a lot of variation in their line-up.”