Test Match Special - Jimmy Anderson – 600 wickets, but I don’t feel tired

Episode Date: August 28, 2020

Just three days after becoming the first ever fast bowler to get 600 Test wickets, Jimmy Anderson joins the Test Match Special team on a rain-delayed first T20 international between England and Pakistan. Jimmy reveals how he celebrated his 600th Test wicket, why he can’t wait to bowl to Virat Kohli again, whether he’s likely to play in the Ashes next year, and how much he enjoys batting.

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from BBC Radio 5 Live. Welcome to Emirates Old Trafford, where we've had yet another damp day in this damp cricketing summer. England were 131 for six of 16.1 overs against Pakistan when the rain came. It included 71 from Tom Banton off just 42 deliveries, his highest international score so far. But during the rain break, it did give us a chance to have a good chat with Jimmy Anderson, who joined us in the test match special box just three days after his 600th test wicket fell,

on the final day of the final test against Pakistan at Southampton. We talked about that moment, how life has been in the bio bubble, and who the best football are in the team is. We took plenty of your questions too, and I was joined by Phil Tufnall, Ibrahim, Ahtif Nawaz, and Andy Zaltzman. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Well, I was going to always go, Jimmy, you played your last one international of the World Cup in 2015. And obviously, I did a lot of stats on you during the last test.

And your record since you stopped playing one day international cricket is phenomenal, averaging around about 20, and I think over the previous of four or five years before that, averaging so 25, so it would be very good before that, but you've had your best years since then. Is that a factor? And if so, is it to do with the physical side of it, if it's not playing so much, not playing so many days of cricket having longer breaks, and how much of it is a technical thing of not having to change your techniques from one format to another?

Yeah, I think it definitely has. has played a factor certainly when it comes to touring that one day series at the end of a winter tour usually you know it just does take its toll on the body and I think yeah I mean have it been able to focus on one format and one set of skills definitely has made a difference to me and if I'm being brutally honest I probably didn't put as much effort into the white ball skills as I did into my red ball skills and maybe that had a detrimental effect on my white ball game but yeah i'd certainly feel fresher going into every test series i feel like i'm you know something to look forward to rather than you know having to flip between the two series and in the same way i think that the guys that are in the whiteball team generally the bowling attacks a little bit different i know there's a bit of overlap chris chris wokes mark wood joffer archer a little bit of overlap there but generally there's some guys here, Chris Jordan, for example,

just playing white ball cricket at a minute. I'm sure that helps him when it comes to working on his skills and just getting his mind ready for T20 cricket. Another thing that came up in the last test was the Crickvis data for this summer show that you were swinging the ball less, but a much higher proportion of your balls would have hit the stumps. Was that to do with not being able to use saliva on the ball and you were finding swinging less?

was that a deliberate tactic to then focus more on trying to get bowls and LBWs? Yeah, well I think if a bit of everything, yes, the ball didn't swing as much and it probably was to do with the fact that we couldn't put Sliver on the ball. So therefore I went to try and seam the ball a little bit more but also the pitchers, certainly Old Trafford, the pitches we had here were more conducive to trying to get LBWs. We saw Stuart Broad, Chris Wilkes having a lot of success, attacking the stumps. So yeah, we did a bit of everything

But yeah, generally I found it didn't swing as much as normal I'd say probably because we couldn't look after the ball As we normally could Was that difficult that instinct, you know, for your whole career You know, saliva on the ball and that's always been the way And then this summer it completely changes Yeah, I mean for me like So we talk a lot about batsmen looking after their bats and being quite protective about them

they sand them down and tape them and they look after them. The cricket ball is exactly that for me. That's my bit of equipment that I can use to my advantage and I really like to look after it. So I generally shine it quite a lot. And not being able to do that was so frustrating and trying to find some moisture as well.

That first few hovers where you're not sweating. Thankfully it was raining so I was rubbing the grass quite a lot just to get some moisture into the ball and repair the scuffs that we'd get. but I did find it frustrating but I think that actually helped us because as I said

we didn't try and swing it that much because the pitches were more conducive to bowling straight who was the who was the sweatyest England cricketer sort of like who had to do the ball shining who was generally

Don Best we found was the sweatiest probably not a title that he wants but he would often get the ball yeah, because he walked down the stairs and he got a sweat. How did you discover that Dombest was the sweatsh?

Did you have a sort of trial? Well, it got to a point where we're just like going around the team. Anyone got any moisture to put in this ball. So the off spinner that does the least running in his bowling approach? Yeah. I think he did dive around at backward point a little bit. So, yeah, I think he's clammy most of the time. In terms of conversations 12 months ago, we didn't think we'd be having.

This one's got to be up there, isn't it? Could you not just stick a sauna in the dressing room and just get one player really sweaty before you go out to the field? We did notice that, though, didn't we, on the stats and everything's, about the guys, especially Stewart as well, changing his style of bowling a little bit, really looking for the sort of like the LBWs and the bowls. very noticeable. Was that something that you discussed

or is it just something he worked out for himself? I think certainly Stewart's been working on that for a few years, trying to, yeah, bring the stumps into play a little bit more. To be honest, he's worked on the ball going away from the right-hander as well and I think he did that pretty well.

Just having a bit of both. But I think he's definitely tried to consciously pitch it up a bit more and bring the stumps into play. Yeah. it was sort of interesting thing looking at his stats and your stats after 20 matches in test

you were averaging 39 he was averaging over 40 quite extraordinary stories of sort of personal improvement I guess a bit of selectorial patience at the start did you have doubts at that that phase in your career that you'd make it as a top level international

absolutely yeah I think I always because I had a little bit of success right at the start so my first couple of tests went well and then I had a little bit of success in the few tests after that I kind of always fell back on that

and thought right I know I can perform at this level it's just a case of trying to work out my game and get my mind in the right place to be able to perform but obviously of course there are doubts there when you're getting smashed everywhere I remember a game in Johannesburg

where I just didn't know where the ball was going. I was, you know, my arms and legs were going everywhere. I felt like they weren't attached to, in the right place. I just felt so unnatural. And at that point, I thought, I'm just not cut out for this. And then you get dropped the next game. But I think it's, yeah, a sort of combination of trying to have good people around you to, you know, coaches and family and friends that keep telling you

you're good enough. Did you ever think early in your career, this is what I aspire to achieve in the game? Because considering the milestone you've just reached, and I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams would think about that at the start of their career as a scene bowler, and it's an extraordinary achievement. But did you, 2002, 2003, think this is what I can do and this is what I want to do and I expect of myself to achieve? No, I don't think so.

I think I felt very lucky at that point to. have played for, you know, in 2002, I'd played for Lancashire and England in the same year, and I just thought this is incredible. And I don't know how long it's going to last, so I'm going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. And that's pretty much my thought process. And I felt like the, you know, the following year, 2003 was where there's that bit more expectation, bit more pressure, and that's probably where I struggled a little bit. But I never set out thinking, right, I'm going to play for 17 years.

take this many wickets you just i don't you know and i think that to be honest looking not looking too far ahead has actually helped me just um focus on the the present and what you can actually affect and also not look too much at the past as well and not trying it too down or too overexcited if things go well and and we saw you at the ajeus bowl you were still running up and bowling at some cones or something on the last day when you started working with something me saw you out there, always learning, always trying to improve. Yeah, yeah, but I think that's, yeah, if you don't have that, the minute you think that you've got it sussed,

then I think the game bites you on the backside because no one, I don't think anyone who's played the game has ever had it properly sussed. So yeah, I do try and constantly improve, try and improve my fitness all the time as well. But I think that's helped me. I've still got the hunger to do that as well. And I think as soon as that disappears, then that's probably time to call it a day.

Do you get bored of people asking how long have you got left to play? And I'm not going to do it because I sense that you might. So I'm just going to ask whether you get bored. Yeah, I do, yeah. Do you know what? I think the thing that frustrates me the most is the fact that there's so much focus on the number that's next to your name, the 38, which has become this summer.

people seem to think right you can't have much longer left whereas the way I feel the way I'm bowling I just feel like I could carry on for a long period of time but who knows how long it's going to be and I don't want to put a number on it

I don't want to think too far ahead but I certainly know that I can keep playing for a little bit longer out well that's good news and that's what we all want to hear you just want sharp I felt really good my speeds were up

but not annoyingly I do occasionally get into the habit of reading stuff in the media as well and that's something that I should avoid because it does frustrate me seeing you know we need extra pace in Australia and I'll be 39 then so

but if to be honest if I'm I'll keep trying to improve if I'm good enough to get in the test team in a year's time then hopefully I'll be on that plane to Australia and make the team well what are the

challenge of of Australia you've seen obviously England you know you had the great tour there in 2010 11

the last two have not been overly successful it's also South Africa won there with a lot of wickets

balander bowling sort of 80 miles an hour do we over simplify the you know what's required to succeed in Australia

as a bowler by this sort of obsession with pace and off and height absolutely absolutely something that we've got wrong I think in the past couple of tours being obsessed with pace obsessed with height of course you need something different but you always need that not just in Australia you need it's great if you've got a leg spinner it's great if you've got someone who bowls 95

miles an hour but essentially I think wherever you go in the world you pick your best bowlers for that surface Philander's a great example he doesn't miss the top of off stump and he's had wherever he's gone. I think the key in Australia is, and this is easy for me to say as a bowler, but it's getting 400 in the first innings. When we've had success there, teams that have had success there have got big first inning scores

and that makes bowling a lot easier when you've got those runs on the board. I think if you look at the last couple of times we've been there, we've actually bowled Australia out for 250, 280 in the first in the first innings but not being able to get a first innings lead. So I think that's something that also needs to be addressed, not just the bowling attack.

Ishigua joins us as well. We've seen Ashes Tours in a recent series and endless conversations about how England need a taller, faster bowling attack. But these conversations continue. It's almost the accepted truth. Why do we keep having these conversations? I think because we've seen the history of Australian cricket

and the number of fast bowlers that have come out of Australia, especially when you think about the Wacker and some of the quick bowlers that have bowled there and they feel like they can just unleash what they have. It's question time of Jimmy, so I want to ask Jimmy actually about that last tour and how much that drives you on and motivates you to play in the next ashes

because I think all of us were here actually and it was so tough for you guys. it felt like a never-ending tour by the end of it 4-0 and it felt like almost it got to Sydney

and everyone was just so drained by the experience I've kind of changed the subject a little bit but you go for age don't you worry but a lot of people

on the back of that were saying well we need a quip bowler and so all of a sudden everyone's getting excited about Mark Wood and Joffre Archer and the potential for them to be available down under for the next Ashes tour. But how much did that tour drive you to want to say,

I want to keep going? I don't think it's driven me to want to keep going. I think, you know, as I said before, you don't really try to dwell on the past too much, whether it's good or bad, because I think you've always got to keep looking forward, keep looking at ways to improve, not just yourself, but as a team.

How do we keep improving? How do we keep evolving? And I think we've shown good signs of doing that, of improving this summer. Everyone who's been given a chance has performed at some point with battle balls. So I think it's an exciting time for us because we've now, at least we're in a position now to have those options. We're not searching for the quick bowler because we've got two in Mark Wood and Joffar Archer's. We've got options there. But I think you need a, you do need a balance, you need control as well.

We've seen, you know, you look at Australia throughout the years, when they had Mitchell Johnson, they had the control of Siddell at the other end, they had the control of lion at the other end. You know, that makes a massive difference. When you're not going anywhere, that allows them the quick bowler to bowl a little bit more aggressively. You can't just throw in three wild quick bowlers and hope that they're going to blow the opposition away. Do you need that control? And that we've seen that, you know, the minute we've had control this summer,

whether it's with the spinner one end or whether it's with myself or Stuart or Chris Wolkes that allows then the guy that therein to be a bit more attacking. I think that's just a balancing I think and we're all aware of that. But yeah, try not to dwell on that. I mean the 4-0 was actually a positive result considering the 2 5-0s after a golden.

Well, the only reason I ask is because Simon Mann interviewed you at the end of that tour and you said it's not how I want to finish things here. year. You know, I want to, I want to be able to come back for the next Staff. She's tour down under and, and if you remember. I don't remember that, but also, but also just recently, you know, Joe Root said he wants you to be, to be there next year. Yeah, well, I mean, I can't look into the future. I don't know what's going to happen

in the next 12 months, but all I can do is keep myself fit. keep myself bowling well, trying to, you know, if we do play in the winter some test matches, hopefully get a chance, keep performing well. Obviously, we've got next summer as well. We've got India coming, I think, which will be a huge test for us and a great sort of lead up to that ashes as well. So all I can keep trying to do is do that, stay fit and keep working hard at my game. And if I'm good enough to get in that 11 in Brisbane in 12 months' time, then brilliant. Do you get frustrated by the, we've seen an example this week where the suggestion that this summer was somehow a missed opportunity to get players ready for the ashes next time

because everything's about the ashes as opposed to just picking the best team and winning the series in front of you because it seems to be the case that rather than focusing with what's happening, there's always that focus on what might be 12, 18, 24 months down the line in Australia. Yeah, I think there's always that, um, kind of look into the future and yeah of course we want to have a look at people and try and give them opportunities and experience and we're seeing that in the T20 format at the minute

young guys at the top of the order getting a chance to go out there just because of the nature of the situation we're in and that's great but you know if there's not that opportunity there then why force it we're still playing for a test championship still points to be won for that we want to win test matches I think the best thing for a T the best way for a team to grow

is to win series and win test matches so doing that will help everyone that's involved the guys that haven't played we'll still get we'll still learn from the experience to learn from how people prepare how we go about things how we actually

manage to win test matches and test series and that'll help them as well but I'm sure there'll be that the more test cricket we play in the next 12 months the more there will be natural opportunities for people to have chances there'll be injuries to bowlers

there will be drops in form and unfortunately people will miss out but yeah it's harder I think in test cricket to force that sort of thing obviously we don't know what's going to happen this winter with regard to England's test

schedule there's a lot of talk playing India in the UAE you and Stuart Broad have had quite a good deal of success in the test against Pakistan in the UAE what are the how are the wickets there different to say India because we tend to sort of lump Asian wickets together what are the differences and what are the challenges and techniques you use as a bowler to

succeed on those tracks? I don't know to be honest but we have had success there I think there's potentially a little bit more grass on them which does help with the new ball you know that there's going to be a bit of swing there a bit of reverse later on as well myself and Stuart have worked really hard on our cutters which we try and you know it's a subtle change where you just roll your fingers down the side of the ball just to try and make it grip in the dry surface having skills like that really helps but yeah we just enjoy bowling there I can't really put my finger on it and I don't think the wickets are too different to India but yeah if that happens we'll be

delighted with that for to resuming your your rival with Verac Koli, which was so compelling in that series here in 2018? Yeah, I mean, it's always tough bowling against batsmen of that quality. And obviously, I had some success against him in 2014. He came back a completely different player in 2018 and was incredible. So, yeah, it would be a tough battle in that respect. But something that certainly I do enjoy that against the, the best players. That's who you want to get out as a bowler. You want to try and get the best

players out. What had changed in his game over those those forwards? He struggled quite a lot early in his test career and become the great player we see today. What did you see that have changed in him over that time? I just felt like he left the ball really well. The first time he came over he was, you know, when I was bowling and out swinger, he'd try and chase it a little bit early on. So that brought the edge into play and the slips into play. And I just felt like he left a lot better and he was a lot more patient, waited for you to come to him

because he's very strong off his legs. He wanted that shot. And then once he got in, he started playing a bit more expansively. And I just thought, yeah, he's all-round game, both his mental approach and his technique was just that little bit better.

Jimmy Anderson is with me and his altzman, Isha Guar, as well, Ish. Yeah, I've put it out there on social media. So it's question time with Jimmy and a few questions have come in and there have been a couple, there have been a couple from people asking,

and you've probably already done this on radio today, but just for people tuning in now, what's the most memorable wicket you've taken in your 600? Actually, we had this chat when we were walking across the ground earlier. You asked me if I remember all of them. Like Glenn McGrath. Yeah, I don't have that sort of memory. Or can you do a top three?

I think when I think about my best performances as an England player, the 2013 Ashes at Trent Bridge, I think it was the first test. We won by 14 runs and I got 10 in the match. That for me is probably my best performance, all-round performance. And my two favourite wickets from me, I got Michael Clark bold, with one of the best balls I bowled. That's the one where you pointed at the stump. Yeah, because it just flitted.

the sort of top of off and Nick the bail off and then in that game the last wicket Brad had in I didn't actually hear a Nick but Matt Pryor and Alistair Cook heard it and reviewed it and then obviously there's quite a famous picture that was all celebrating after that

which was for me one of the best moments in an England shirt being able to sort of bold the match winning ball is something that you don't get to do very often so that was for me very special any more rich Yes, there are.

This one you're like. What has been your favourite its matching quiz on tail enders? My favourite quiz on tail enders. It'd have to be Cruzeick, which is where he comes up with, he gives you a clue and it's an amalgamation of cricket and music

because there's some sort of, yeah. I've not explained that very well, but you should check. check it out and listen to it if you get chance. Here's it. Sorry, I have to ask you this one. Himanchu writes, what's the secret behind him being away from controversies? What's his daily regime?

And how is he so calm and composed? No one's ever described me as calm and composed before, I don't think. I don't really know how to answer that, to be honest. Another way of framing it, I suppose. when the third of those catches went down in the UK. And you didn't completely lose your temper with Stuart Ford. And he then got the runout, so his name goes up in the scorebook as a positive action for him rather than yours with a wicket that gets you closer to 600.

What was going through your mind at that time, and how did you not express it for us all to see? Well, I was inside absolutely fuming with that. I didn't know how he dropped it. Not only did he drop it hit him on his forearm. After the two that had gone down previously, I was in a pretty dark place, to be honest. But that evening, something that cheered me up, someone sent me Joss's reactions behind the stumps,

Josh Butler, firstly put his glove over his face when Stuart, the ball flew into middle stump when he threw it. And then secondly, as he's walking over to Stuart to congratulate him, he was sort of out of the corner of his eye just looking to see if anyone else was laughing hysterically. like he wanted to so he had that sort of cheeky grin on his face I thought that was quite sweet and that made me laugh and forget

the horrible lead-up to this how many hours had it been of just stewing and raging no I think Stuart felt really bad he apologised immediately but yeah they're obviously frustrating when you get drop catches even more so when you're nearing a milestone

and you don't know when your next test match is going to be and it's due to rain the next day. Yeah, I can see that it would all add up. Croft, messages in, given the 90 catches that have gone down off your bowling, who is your dream slipcorden? Well, from an England point of view, the best sip cordon I've ever had was Strauss-Cowlingwood, sorry, Strauss-Swan Collingwood, 12, 3. That was our sip-corden in 2010-11 ashes in Australia.

Would you pick someone from different eras or? I'd pick someone from different countries, I think. Okay. So we actually had this discussion in the dress room during the rainbreak not long ago. And yeah, so we'd have Graham Smith at first slip, Ricky Ponting at second slip. And I think Paul Collingwood still made it in at third. But yeah, there's some amazing slipcatches out there. from the past especially just i think for us at the minute we need just need a bit of consistency

it's been hard with ben missing the last couple of games but i think the more like the the thing with strouse won and collingwood was that they did it for a long period of time got used to each other being there one of my favorite moments of your career jimmy is one that is often used as a short video clip from an ashes series in 1011 i think it was Mitchell Johnson's at the non-striker zone and you can see him saying and Dan Tinkler gets in touch with this on Twitter

at BBC TMS Mitchell Johnson's sledge saying what you're chirping mate not getting any wickets you run in Paul I don't know who am I Ryan Harris Ron Harris is then bold and you turn around and you know the sh

talk us through it how good was that moment well I mean it's just a it was a complete flute wasn't it wasn't the best ball I've ever bowled

but me and Mitch were having a few words should we say through that period yeah and it was just I don't know like it never happens like that where someone sledges you

and then you get a wicket the next ball so a one of a one off for me and something that I do get reminded of quite a lot and it is it's quite nice to watch

every now and then I wish you had said actually that every time somebody stages I'd just get a wick and that was the only time the cameras are rolling you know it's just

it's just part for the course Matt Vickery gets in touch and says it's the last over of the last day of the ashes you need one wicket to pass Anil Cumblae in the list of all-time test wicket takers who would you choose to bowl that

and I'm going to extend the question not in terms of who you think you're going to get the wicket of but if you could guarantee you would get the wicket who would you most like that wicket to be if you see what I mean okay I don't know really

I think probably Steve Smith just because he's the best player like I said before you want to get the best players out he's also someone that I've not had a great amount of success against in the past so to get him out it would be nice Timothy said who was the one wicket that

perhaps got away that maybe you didn't get that you feel that you should have done um that's a tough one I think um you know you always look back at people that you struggle

getting out and Hashimama was one for me in test cricket I think I got him maybe once or twice and he had a lot of success against us as well I got a triple hundred

at the Oval which was incredible but obviously not great for us at a time when you're out in the field so I think for me he's probably someone that

maybe I should have had more success against but he always got the better of me moving on to Darts because we're bouncing all over the shop here Stephen Grayson, and there is a darts board in one of the rooms that we can use here. Great.

So, you know, we're looking forward to it. What's your highest checkout in darts? Stephen Grayson asks. I'd, I think it's 1,5, 4, if I remember correctly. Well, that's put me right off playing you at Darts Bill, Mr Jim. I was about to impress you when I once got double four. Andy.

The over two is good. anything on the board. One player you famous had a lot of success against was Satchen Tendorka. What were the different things you did when you bowed to him, or did you just try and sort of challenge him outside his off-stump? Definitely didn't try and do anything different against him.

I think the one thing I did was try and not think about who it was down that end. I think that, you know, you can get a little bit overall by just someone's record or, you know, what they've achieved in the game. So I thought I just tried to think of him as a right-under batsman who I was just trying to bowl my best ball to. He was someone that, you know, he was a great player, but he wasn't destructive. He wasn't, you know, if you bowed your best ball, you'd be respectful and play it back. Whereas a Saywag, for example, he played in the same team, you can bowl your best

ball to him and he'll hit it over midwicket for six in a test match. And that I found more difficult. You know, when someone's just playing you respectfully you can kind of get into a rhythm against them and yeah, that's all I did, just try and buy my best ball at him and got lucky on occasions, got a few wickets in India where it kept

low and got LBs and stuff like that. So you need a bit of luck against players like that as well. Howie Gaden, in touch. Listening on the island of Alderney says, good evening, all. What hobby or sport does Jimmy enjoy relaxing with outside cricket? We know about

the darts, anything else? Golf, love for playing golf, and tennis as well. I got a new tennis racket for my birthday, actually. There's a video, isn't it, is it your Twitter or Stuart Broad's Twitter where you hit a golf ball against a tree? Yeah. And then... Yeah, so...

Back in your face. Yeah, it was all my... Obviously, my own fault for a number of reasons. Dangerous place, golf courses. But that was self-inflicted. Yes. so yeah I was in the trees with my first shot second shot I've seen a gap through the trees so I said to Stuart I think you should video this this could be amazing and I'd missed the tree stump that was two inches in front of my ball so I've given it everything I've whacked the ball straight into the tree stump and it hit me on the point of the chin luckily if it hit me anywhere else in the face I'd have done some serious damage, but the hardest part of my head, thankfully.

And that would have been, you know, maybe, you know, who knows whether 600 wickets would have happened? I'm not going to ask you whether you'd do strictly come dancing, because, you know, I'm not going to do that, but would you do strictly come dancing, says Lucy? No, well, I'm not, that's not fair. I mean, we haven't got toughers with us to give us the low down. Um, I, I've, maybe. I give it a maybe.

He hasn't said no. He hasn't said no. Okay. See how desperate I get at the end of my career. Coaching. So obviously you're incredibly passionate about your skill of swing bowling and scene bowling. We've seen a lot of players around the world come up to you and ask you for advice. Do you get particular satisfaction from offering up your thoughts?

Yeah, I do, yeah. I love talking about the game. I love trying to pass on bits of information. I know how much I enjoyed that as a young player people coming up and offering me advice or me asking for advice it helps so much and obviously as a player you kind of

have to filter through the stuff that you get you see what works for you and what doesn't but it's definitely something I've enjoyed I like taking a little bit of notice of what the other guys are doing what they're working on It helps if I want to offer something to them, try and offer some advice, but also it helps if I'm on the field with them, playing with them,

that if something's going wrong, I can kind of know what triggers will get them back into bowling well, hopefully. So it's definitely something I've enjoyed and maybe something in the future I could do a bit more of. Romilly uses the hashtag BBC cricket and says, it's a good question this. And we heard from Jova Archer that he'd lost the World Cup winner's medal earlier this year, then did find it again. But Romilly's question is, what do you do with all of the balls you take five wickets with

or significant milestones like the 600 wicket ball from this week? Have you got them sort of collected? Yes, I do. I have a little office downstairs in my house. In a cupboard, I've got a wicker basket that's got all my balls.

Do you know which one's with? I've written on them, yeah. So I know which ones are which, but they're not on display, they're not on show, but every now and then I do have a look through. So I've got my first. ever five for Lancashire

which was at Hampshire I think out of San Hampton right the way through to yeah this week. Fantastic I mean that it's almost seemed to shame that only you gets to have a look through it but you know you took the wickets

I'll bring it in for you if you want could you're not allowed actually you've got to stay in the bubble so we can have to wait a little while do keep your questions coming in and the hashtag as I say is BBC cricket it. Alex says

how much batting practice do you put in and I suppose the question is has that changed over the years if you put more in in recent times? I wouldn't say I put more in for me batting isn't something I particularly

enjoy if I'm being brutally honest. If I come off the field unscathed then I'm pretty happy but I realise it's something that You know, I've obviously been in some situations, whether it's batting out for a draw

or trying to get someone through to 100. You've got a job to do for the team to try and hang around. So I do work on it. I think if I look back, the best time, the most I've enjoyed my batting was working with Andy Flower when he was back in coach just before he became head coach. Did a lot of work then and had a bit of success around that as well. When you had that innings against India

when he made, was it, 84? 81. 81. Were you thinking, I could get 100 here. Did that thought start coming into your head when you got through the 60s and 70s? Yeah.

It hadn't. I mean, I don't know if you heard Zach Crawley talk in the other day. He got to 25 and thought, I couldn't stop thinking about 100, which shows what sort of form he was in. But I wasn't like that. I think I was 81 not out at T. a break and I came in

and Matt Pryor came up to me and said only 19 more for 100 I was like oh my God yeah I'm so close to 100 and then I nicked off a second over after T so had you thought about the celebration no I hadn't I think I was I hadn't

thought about that but I had thought you know it's only 19 more and then yeah just just gone like that I don't know whether it was a lack you know just a lapsing concentration or something because I've thought about the celebration for my first test.

Quite a lot. You've got hundreds in other cricket, club cricket, or kids cricket. 81 is my highest score in all forms of cricket from junior through third team club cricket right the way through. I think 57 was my highest before. That's amazing.

That is incredible. How did you celebrate the 600 with your family? We went out for dinner. Last night, I mean, it's not been, I've only had a couple of days at home. you know, hopefully in the near future could get together with the team and do something if the situation allows.

But yeah, I mean, it's, to be honest, it's not something I really celebrate, but the milestones, I enjoy celebrating test match wins. And the personal milestones really don't matter as much to me. I guess I might feel differently about that when I finished playing. Your family must have been incredibly proud though and your dad who saw your 500th?

Yeah, well they've seen most of the 600 I'd say. My mum and dad have. They've followed me around. And yeah, frustrated not to be there actually to see the 600. But thankfully they were, I imagine they were listening on TMS whilst watching on the TV as well. but yeah it was you know it was nice to get a sort of video package as well at the end from the ECB which was sweet of them there was some talk about people comparing you with freddie Truman who bold you know sort of fast swing

and he when he reached 300 test wickets he said word you know was asked if anyone would do it again and he said well if they do they'll be bloody tired now you've gone you've taken twice as many as that How tired is it? How tiring is it at stake 600 wickets? I'll be honest, I don't feel that tired. You know, my body's held up really well. I've been so lucky that I've played in the area that I have with central contracts because I think that's made a huge difference. You look back when Freddie played and he was playing so much county cricket

alongside the test cricket and also touring, they'd played so many tour matches when they went away as well. So there's so much cricket then. So I've been very lucky that I've played in this era and I think that's definitely helped my longevity and I think that hopefully going forward will do the same for me. Many Freddie Truman videos

on YouTube? I've seen a bit, yeah. I love watching the old footage. I think it's fantastic and yeah, I mean to be honest, one of the people I would have loved to see more of as Brian Statham, obviously being a

Lancashire legend and being a, Lancashire and England, legend. I'd have loved to see more of him. I've loved to have got to meet him as one and chat cricket. Jamie Roots writes, what's your thoughts?

We know England, love playing football as a warm-up. Who's the best footballer that you've played within the England cricket side over the years? Chris Wolks, comfortably the best footballer, I'd say. And he plays football as you'd imagine. He's just a

lovely, silky, midfielder, doesn't do anything wrong. Yeah, he's... Sorry, go on. No, go on. I'm done there. Chris Wolk's best player. I was going to say, who thinks they're better than they are?

I couldn't... Who doesn't think they're better, of there? There's quite a few of them. Sam Curran thinks he's amazing, but he's got that two left feet. There's, yeah, quite a few of the young lads rate themselves. Olly Polk rates himself. I think Ollie could actually play.

I've not seen him play proper football because he's been banned for the last sort of 12 months but I think he could be a nice football. Josh, but though, I scored a good with volley I remember a couple of years ago. Joss is quite volatile

on the football field, I'd say. Can get aggressive, can go in, studs up when he goes into the tackle. But yeah, he loves to try and have a flashy sort of bit of skill. Sarah Collins with a question My 10-year-old son, Daniel, has just started his hardball cricket career and is an aspiring Jimmy Anderson.

He wants to know how hard you grip the bowl when you're bowling. That's a good question, actually. I don't really think about that. I think it's something that it's got to be an individual thing. It's a comfort thing. So I try and have it in tight enough, obviously, so it doesn't fall out, so you could actually just pull it out easily. easily if you pulled it out with your other hand, if that makes sense.

So not gripping too hard, but also you've got to find a good middle ground so that it's got to be comfortable and sit in the hand nicely. Isha. What are you looking for when you pick a ball? Something small fits in the hand with a big seam. Something that just feels comfortable. Because some balls, especially the Dukes, they're very different in, because they're handmade, they're very different in size.

the seams can vary quite a lot the colour can vary quite a lot so you just... So what colour are you looking for as well? Well, I mean they vary from sort of red to purple almost so we generally go for a darker one so more purple

than red. But yeah I think the fitting in the hand nicely is key and it can be difficult because obviously if you're in charge of picking the ball and the other lads don't like it or it doesn't swing then it's your fault you're in the field for

the time. So generally I'll get straight forward to do it. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. That was Jimmy Anderson with me, Henry Moran, Andy Zaltzman and Isha Guha.

Jimmy will be with us on Sunday for the first England match on BBC TV this century. We're on air at 145 on BBC 1 and of course test match special will be available on Five Live Sports Extra as well. BBC Sounds,

music, radio, podcasts.