Test Match Special - How To Win The Ashes: James Anderson on Trent Bridge 2013

Episode Date: June 7, 2023

In a new series, some of England and Australia's greatest players take us behind the scenes of the most memorable Ashes moments. In the opening episode, Jimmy Anderson tells the story of the dramatic Trent Bridge Test of 2013. He gives us his insight on Stuart Broad's refusal to walk, Ashton Agar's remarkable display with the bat, and taking back-to-back five wicket hauls.

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You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Hello, welcome to this Test Match special podcast series, How to Win the Ashes. Some of cricket's greatest players, we're telling us what it takes to be victorious in the sports' biggest battle of them all. In this episode, James Anderson takes us back to the start of the 2013 Ashes. England, we're looking for a third straight. series victory over Australia after wins in 2009 and the demolition down under 18 months later. And it started with a tense and dramatic game at Trent Bridge.

The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Yeah, so going into that 2013 Ashes, we'd had a really good period. Well, right from 10-11 winning in Australia, getting to number one in the world, beating India in India for the first time in 20 odd years I think so we were in a good place as a team we were confident

and everyone felt like they were in a good place no other sporting rivalry has created such interest controversy and folklore and here we are in the middle of the ground Alistair Cook is walking past me on the way to go and toss the coin and we're waiting for that moment now

so this series this latest series can get underway the team itself was as good as I've played in really we had all bases covered we had strength at the top of the order you know in terms of them being able to get

through tough periods with the new ball we had attacking plays in the middle order Peterson Bell prior we just had all bases covered we had Graham Swan who was the best spinner in the world at the time and a good seam attack good group of seam bottlers so we were confident that we

had every base covered to be able to be really challenging batsman, Alastair Cook, and Joe Root, opening the batting for the first time in a test match. We're awaiting the arrival of the red arrows any moment if they're on time, and they certainly are. We'll see those hawk jets flashing over the ground in a minute, pouring smoke behind them, which I hope doesn't put the batsman off. But out they go, a real firm punch of the gloves there between the two batsmen as they walk out, striding out, looking very purposeful, full of intent. There they come. They're coming round over to our left. Magnificent. Look at that.

Red, white and blue streaming behind them as those hawk jets on a bank, about a 45 degree angle, fly just past the left-hand side of Trent Bridge and away into the distance and up to the north. Fantastic. What a start and let's hope that the cricket lives up to the expectation. I can't remember it feeling any different to any other test match really. First test match of a series is obviously excitement. There is expectation, you're not quite sure what's going to happen, what the wicket's going

to be like. There's all these sorts of things that you're wondering what it's going to be like, the anticipation of it. So I can't remember being any more nervous than we normally would be. The pitch has got cracks in it. I think it'll play well for two or three days, but throughout the test match you have to say batting first is a big advantage. Here comes to Aleister Cook.

Well, that's first blood, isn't it? Well, it's one of the things done today, but the most important thing is how we bat with it. You do think it might swing early for the first bit, but it looks a very, very good wicket and a dry wicket, so I think that's the right decision. Ready! Here comes Patterson, in now, bows to cook, the first ball, he's there. It's a short one and Cook pulls away. He flies across his chest, wide England are underway. Well, well, well, I brought in Steve Harmison. He bowled a terrible board, didn't he at Christmas?

and all those years ago, that wasn't really far away from it. It was short, it was wide, wide, wide. The general feeling was it was slightly under par. And Siddell it is, in now to Root. He's up there, he bows. And Root himself. Boat him, it bowed him, and Siddler's got the wicket. Here's Pattinson bowling short.

It's in here, corner cover. An absolute lulley catch. Poked out there to Hughes. And they end the innings with a real whimper there, England. They're scabring off the field. Everyone's running off the field. And it's 215 all out. England are in trouble.

Doesn't mean they said they've lost the game, but they're in big trouble. Let me tell you, if you're in that dressing room with only 250 on a dry pitch, you're thinking, hang on, we didn't do very well here. We'd have to bowl very well. The thing about Trent Bridge is, you know, it's generally going to get better as a batting wicket.

So we knew that we could be up against it if we don't bowl well. So yeah, that that was. That was the main thought was we were a little bit under, so we need to just do everything we can in the field to try and pull it back. Finn, from the Pavilion end, runs in and bowls to Cowan, who drives and he's caught a slip, and Finn's on a hat to it. Cowan's out first ball and listen to that noise.

What a comeback, and what a remarkable day. We knew we needed to bowl well. We did bowl well. We got them nine down quite cheaply. Anderson again, Rogers hit on the pad and appeal for LBW out. Anderson to bowl pitching up and he drives again and he's neck and he's out. Well bowed by Anderson. Anderson again, he's up to the wicket in both Siddell, short Siddell, and he's caught behind.

A brilliant catch-out by Pryor, he nibbled out and it for short. Pryor went like a porpoise to his right. Oh no, that he's gone. He's gone, he nibbled at that bat away from. away from body it left him a bit pride took it low down by his book tops flung it a lot the eighth wicket has gone eight for a hundred and fourteen yeah i think michael clark that was probably one of the best balls ever bowed to be honest it's Anderson now three steps in a gully they go down and a short mid wicket i mean i can remember it quite vividly which is strange for me because i don't

really remember wickets that much anderson is in now up to the wicket bows that clark Clark, according to appeal, he bowed him, he came half forward and he bowled and Anderson has got the wicked that England wanted the most. I was just trying to wobble the seam and hit an area. I wasn't really trying to do anything fancy with it. Clark is out, it's 22 for three, and my goodness me, this game is being stood absolutely on its head. Every now and then, when you let go of a ball, you think that has gone exactly where I want it to and it might do something. Relic almost can't believe it, an extraordinary dismissal. Just there's this feeling off your fingers that you think it might just nip away that because of the way it felt coming out my hand and then it pitched exactly where I wanted it to

and then beat the outside edge. Well that's just a great delivery. Jimmy Anderson has impressed me for a long, long time. He's an exceptional bowler and he can produce deliveries like this. I didn't realize it had bowled him at first because it was that finer clip on the stump. But yeah the feeling when I went, I sort of followed through past him and saw the bail on the ground was pretty special. Nearly the perfect delivery. One of, if not the best ball up hold.

So nine wickets are down for 117. Probably the one thing we did was slightly underestimate Ashton Agar. The 19-year-old left-arm spinner was chosen so surprisingly for this test match is the last man. He's coming out. He's now locked in conversation with Hughes. Get ready to bat, Alice to Cook and Joe Root. It's not going to be long.

No one had really played against him before. No one really knew what he could do. 19 years of age, Aston Agar. Somehow he's got to try to score a few runs. He's batting 11. So he thought if he's batting behind, you know, Siddell, Pattinson, players like that, then he can't be that good.

But I think they'd obviously, maybe because it was, I think it was his debut, wasn't it? So, you know, it's, I think they maybe was protecting him slightly, first. First game. Into ball to Agar. He plays that nice. He gets his first run at least in test cricket.

He can have a man back on the cover boundary and he is off the mark. So yeah, we've slightly underestimated him, I say. And he batted very well. And it's pulled away massively there by Agar and it's gone for four runs. He's after that short ball. He's hit that hard down to the boundary. That's four more. This fella is batting extraordinarily well.

To Aynes, a good looking shot for me. Guys is going out towards the boundary. Fielder after it, I don't think he'll get there, he won't. The ball wins, four more. He goes down the wicket, has a tremendous swing at that, and that's gone all the way, surely. Yes, it's gone into a billion for six runs. That was a prodigious stroke.

Australia had been kidding everyone worldwide for the last year. They've been secretly hiding this kid. It's hit up to the ground, four run, brilliant stroke, up towards the pavilion. That was a magnificent blow. Oh, and forward now. That's it. That's it.

It's 50. Goes down to a deep backward point and it's his 50. An amazing knock by Ashton Agar made in partnership as well. Unbelievable innings and he's come out and just played it like falling off a log. The highest score by a number 11 on his debut in desk cricket. I can't remember having plans for Agar. And yes, you go through all the team. You go through the full team and one to 11 and try and figure out what their strengths are.

what their strengths are, how to get them out, what their weaknesses might be, and how you're gonna bowl at them. And for some reason, I just can't remember having anything on Agar. And again, you know, when you get them 120 for nine, you think this guy's batting behind the, you know, he's batting 11, so he can't be that great.

And maybe you start chasing it a little bit, sort of played into his hands, and yeah, he obviously played very well. Agar 98, two runs away from a maiden test century. Feed up everyone, all the superstitions you have. Bring them into play right now. I think the world is willing this man to get 100. There were 11 guys on the field not wanting to get 100,

even if the rest of the ground did. I feel like he was out at Deep Midwicket. Broad comes in and bowls to Agar. Aegar swings the short ball away. He could be caught. He's out. He's caught in the deep. He's out for 98.

A wonderful debaubes. comes to an end an extraordinary performance and the short ball has got him as he tugged it and hit it hard into the onside Australia all out for 280 he played a few big shots throughout the innings and went for for one two minutes the innings of his life comes to an end almost unfairly denied a hundred he took the bowling on as he had threw out and listened for the applause Some of the England players have run up to congratulate him as he makes his way off the field. A magnificent performance on Dubu from Ashton Agar. Out for 98.

A slightly disappointing way to finish, not so close to his 100, but that's incredible. He should be very proud of himself. Yeah, I think we did chase the last wicket a little bit. I think, you know, sometimes, especially if they can bat and sort of plays into their hands a little bit and that's exactly what it did that day we just we chased it maybe took off the off the gas a little bit which wasn't really like us we were pretty ruthless in that period you know we bowled many teams out around that time but just yeah didn't quite happen for us that time just want to bowl them out you want to get the lead get the first in his lead and yeah it just didn't didn't happen for us we just got it slightly wrong, I think, in that period, and then they end up getting a 60-over lead.

England Openers in Root and Cook have just walked on the field. They'll be keen to make amends for what's just happened the last few overs. What an astonishing test match this has been. And who would dare try and write the script for what we're going to see now? Australia are a lead of 65. It was unthinkable as 117 for 9, wasn't it? But this is the beauty of cricket. You just do not know what's going to happen.

Hagar coming in, drawing him 40, edges, he's caught at slip, he's caught by Clark. Agar's first in test cricket, and he's dismissed the England captain for 50. Peterson drives, that's gone through the covers for four runs, a magnificent stroke, that's 50. Pattinson comes in and bowls the ball, it's punched off the pads, the toes. Now way to deep midwicket, Agar's out there, and a half century to Bell. Well battled bell, ding-dong. Broad hits is officially through the offside He's going out for Fox Road stand before

He's swung away, lustily by Broad It's gone high Will it be caught in the deep It's a tricky one, it bounces And it's not cut off inside the road out there And this partnership Has pushed England up to a lead of 226 The revs that are being recorded

Bygare, abroad's out He's out, he's flipped that away to slip, I think, he's been taken by Clark they're appealing and Alan Dar, hang on, Alan Dar is saying not out. Australia have got no reviews left. Broad's coming up leading on his back. That looked to me as a bit edged straight to slip. And Alan Dar is saying, not out. And Australians are furious. Absolutely furious. You have no reviews left, lad. I can only really remember the aftermath of that incident. I don't really remember the

happening at the time. I don't know whether that was, because I was I don't know, I might have been getting treatment or something, but yeah, I just remember there's being a bit of a commotion. Went to see what's going on and then saw it on the TV and it, you know, it looks worse than it actually was. It was a fine nick that hit the keeper's gloves and went to first slip. Broad hasn't walked. He's wandering up and talking to Ian Bell.

They're standing there. And Aline Dar is coming down to talk to somebody. He's handing a cat back to the bowler. Now, let's have a look at the replay. It looks amazing. if he just run it off the bat, straight to slip. Let's have a look. And he did.

Straight off his, head off the bat. Straight to slip. Straight to slip. Let's have a look. He's edged it from outside the off-stump. It's just flicked, had it on the way through. And Clark takes a simple catch. He's out.

And I don't blame Australia for being really, really gnarct about that for goodness sake. Stewart is someone who doesn't walk, and he's quite happily. So I don't, even if he knows he's hit it, it doesn't walk. And I think a lot of Australians have famously come out and said they're walkers. And I don't know if they do this just to try and trick the umpire into thinking that if, if they're standing there, then he must not have hit it because he's a walker. I think Adam Gilch was probably the most famous one. He said he walked every time he nicked it, which I'm, you know,

hats off if you did, but I can't quite believe it. But Stuart, yeah, he's quite happy to say, he doesn't. Came off the wicket keepers, but no, didn't it? Well, no, Geoffrey. He did, Jonathan. Did Jonathan? Well, the edge, look at it. He came off the edge of the bat.

After he hit it. Look at that. He's nicked it straight. Oh dear. I think it might just have flicked Haddon's glove. And Clark takes the catch. That's out in any, well, anywhere you want. It's disappointing, I must say, to see someone standing for that.

But Broad is not walking. He's stood there. There are no reviews left. But Stuart being Stewart stood there, quite confidently actually. He looked like he was nowhere near it. it in his facial expressions and then obviously it kicked off a little bit after that. Now that's another ridiculous one. This is played by Bell up into the offside and well there's some ill feeling out there now and I'm not surprised I'm sorry that's a real

terrible mistake by the umpire I can't see why hasn't given that out. Oh that is a shocker. And be honest to all Australians that's a shocker. If you are Australian though you will say that Broad should not Be there. Stuart Broad has taken so many of the headlines this morning. The Mirror says ban Stu. Broad tramples over the spirit of the game.

The Express on edge broad catch row. As Ashes hit fever pitch. I mean, they had burnt their reviews, so they're kind of their fault as well. Stewart says it's down to the umpire to make a decision. He decided he didn't think it was out. And so he's quite within his rights to stand there. Custle again, Bose. And that's caught there at short midwicked.

He played it off his pads. It was Hughes there who took the catch. Anderson has gone second ball for naught and Finn at the other end is 2-0-out. 311 is Australia's target. We thought it was in the balance. We thought it's very getable on that wicket. And again, we knew we'd have to bowl pretty well.

There's a strong team like Australia, they'll feel like they can chase down anything, so we knew we'd have to bowl well. And England come out. They go into their huddle. There it is the Australian batsman walk out onto the wicket as well. Watson and Rogers there. In now comes Hansen Bowles to Watson.

That's played away off his pad for four runs. Wide of mid on. What a fine stroke that was. It was there asking void. I remember they got off to a decent start. It's Anderson again into Watson. He's up the wicket he bowls and Watson turns that round the corner and that's gone away through mid-wigget for four runs.

Rubbish. A ball out swing is two like stumpish. He got a ball off stump. Make him drive through the car. I remember at a break David Saker had said to put a midwicket catcher into Rogers and bowling off the odd off cutter in there, bow around the wicket normally and then the odd sort of slightly slower off cutter. Anderson pitches up and it's a whip to the on side he's bowling.

Like goodness, he chipped it to midwicket, chipped it, that's what he's done. Literally the first one I bowed at him he chipped it straight to Ian Bell at midwicket. So I remember celebrating like pointed at the balcony. and the catch is lollied away on the onside and he is out for 52 just when he was looking set a huge wicket for england three for a hundred and twenty four just those things never really came off for me that's like it feels like the first time when those plans actually worked then i remember bowling a really long spell later in the innings and got on a bit of a roll i think the wicket was that flat we only had one slip in and we sort of trying to protect the boundaries

a little bit as well because we were getting close to the target. I remember getting, I think I've got Agar out actually. He caught Cook at Slip. Anderson, it is. He's in again to Agar. He's there, he bows, Agar. Oh, what a guy! He's got, he's gone, he's abs, he's gone, he nibbled at that,

and he has gone, caught there in the slips. That was the breakthrough that England so desperately needed and Anderson is the man who has done it. And my goodness me, that was... was talk about the relief of maffa king that's the relief of trent bridge it really was because everything was going australia's way but now 207 for 7 that wicked has brought england back into the game just when it really did look as though australia had mounted the top of the hill then stark caught cook as well and it's in bright sunshine bolster stark's like

edges it's caught at first slip by cook England are moving towards victory 100 to win but only two wickets left it's 211 for 8 you cannot keep Anderson out of the action and then Siddle I remember he dropped a couple Cookie at Slip

and goes Anderson bowled edge and drops dropped by Cook at slip he's taken two today that was to his left and that one's gone down I was frustrated and he took an absolute blind diving away to his right to get rid of Siddles. In goes Anderson. Edged and, oh, a wonderful catch, a brilliant catch by Alistair Cook, who kept Anderson on. He's taken his fourth wicket, but that was as good a catch I reckon as we'll see all summer.

He took off absolutely full length to his right at slip and came up with the ball. It's not quite Andrew Strauss here in 2005, but I'll tell you what, it's not far away. It's not far away. That was the first four. And again, there, bowling that long spell, it felt really satisfying getting those wickets. You know, getting the rewards for putting in hard work. So I was, yeah, pretty happy with that. As the number 11, Pattinson comes out to bat.

Nine down was plenty left to an 80 to win. You don't think it's going to happen, but you feel on top, especially for me as a bowler. I felt in good rhythm, I was on a roll, just got a few wickets. and then they just start building a partnership. In goes Finn, bowls to Halin, who heaves him away into the leg side. He's carted him away and that's going to go for four runs. Hadding's such a good player, was such a good player. Like he could hit any ball anyway, sort of quite awkward to bowl that.

Haddon waits, Finn's on the way, bowls to him and he slams him for four. Pass Mid on, who dived there to his left. This is horrible for Finn. And Finn runs in again, he's there and he bowls to Haddon, who heaves him away into the leg side. That's going to be four more. It's like one day cricket. So we're obviously trying to protect the boundaries a little bit with him. Then Pattinson got a few away, I think I remember, and he ended up with 20 odd. And they just kept chipping away and chipping away and getting closer and closer.

Swan comes in and bowls and Pattinson swings him, lustily, out into the deep. That's a good tongue. Thank you very much. Six. What a shot! Swan bowls again, and he swings at this. He's hit that hard, he's hit that hard. He's hit that hard. Oh!

Oh! He's dropped it. Oh, my. He's dropped it. Finn's dropped it at deep backwards square. 22 to win. And I think there was a break just before we actually got the last wicket. Australia have got to lunch.

They only need 20. And I was absolutely cooked by this point. Bowled 30 overs in the innings, 50 odd in the game. And then, yeah, we had a chat at tea about just trying to... I think it was Matt Pryor stood up and gave a bit of a bit of a... and gave a bit of a rousing talk, or team talk. And then I was sort of cowering in the corner, hoping the captain wasn't going to say,

you're going to bowl after tea. But sure enough, he came over and said, do you mind carrying on after tea? So I remember going out and just thinking, right, one last push. Look, it's Anderson's taking his cap off. Let's get there, first of all. They have looked very, very purposeful, and so to Australia.

And Matt Pryor is having a chat there to both the baton as they walk out. I suspect there's a friendly chat knowing Matt. 96 for 9, 15 more to win. Again went for the off cutter, actually, against Haddon. Anderson runs in, bowls outside the off stump. He drives as appeal for a catch behind. What's Alan Dar going to do?

And he tried to cover drive it, and it just lit back slightly off the wicket. Went through to Matt Pryor. Australia have no reviews. He's given it not out. England do have a review available, and they're taking it. I didn't hear a thing. He heard it. Alistair Cook heard it at first slip, so they've reviewed it.

I was quite shocked. I honestly didn't think he'd hit it. Well, I have to be honest, Anderson didn't appeal. He joined in late. I don't think he thought that he edged it. Alan Dahl's given it not out. I actually then looked at Haddon and sort of mild did you hit that and he was like, yeah, I've hit it. So we sort of knew at the time that we'd won the game. Pryor looked pretty confident. There'd be an irony to this if his technology is going to finish this game. There is anything. It's carried. It's gone past the inside edge. But obviously he still goes through that you still never 100% you know with snick or a hotspot is it going to actually show up because it was such a fine nick. Oh, hotspot. Now as he hit his pet.

That's a hotspot. That could be a hotspot. It could be a hotspot. It could be the faintest hotspot. And then watching the big screen, waiting for the decision to come up and then it was just you know, you heard the crowd roar and then we just ran off celebrating. He's giving it! England win the match by 14 runs on the thinest, faintest hotspot.

Australia's batsmen stand there. Absolutely devastated. And look at Alistair, he's punching the air. They're all round each other. Anderson takes his fifth wicket, his tenth of the match. Can there ever have been a more dramatic finish? Well, the answer, of course, there have been. It's that when these things happen, you never feel that they can possibly have been.

14 runs. The tension for the poor old Morrill. for poor old Murray Erasmus, they're having to look and look and look again at that hotspot. The faintest little feather was all that it was. And the way that England appealed for it, they were only semi-shawn. It wasn't one of those massively confident appeals. And England have won, and we're looking up there at the England balcony, shaking hands as Anderson walks off, he's popping his brow. I remember just sitting down in my...

I sit in the corner at Trent Bridge by the... sort of doors to the balcony, the viewing balcony. I just remember sitting down and not wanting to get back up. I just wanted to go to sleep. I felt that drained, you know, mentally and physically, just drained from playing in such a sort of up-and-down test match. Emotionally, it was up and down. But yeah, and then I think it's just sort of relief.

You know, you've been pumped with adrenaline for five days and then all of a sudden it's over. It's over and you sort of just back down to earth and, yeah, it does hit you quite hard. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. That was the latest episode of How to Win the Ashes. and you can watch the documentary in full now on the BBC eye player. Don't forget, there's full coverage of the ashes and the women's ashes

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