"Quietest buildup I have experienced here" - James Anderson on Ashes 2021

James Anderson has quite a bit of experience of playing in the Ashes. He is now set to play his fifth Test series against Australia Down Under. The heated rivalry ensures there is always a lot of banter and mind games leading up to the series, and not just between players but also fans.

However, Anderson thinks there is a different vibe to the series, and that due to the long Covid-enforced lockdowns, the fans in Australia are just happy that the series is going ahead.

In his column for The Telegraph, Anderson wrote:

"This is my fifth Ashes tour and it has a very different vibe to what I have experienced in the past. We have gone out for dinner a few times and the nice welcome, barring the odd one or two individuals, shows the Australian public are genuinely happy to see us this time. They have recently emerged from tough, long lockdowns and are just glad the Ashes series is going ahead."

He went on to add:

"There is normally a lot of noise around an Ashes, plenty of verbal bashing, but this feels like the quietest build up to a series I have experienced over here."

Anderson did mention one incident where a fan tried to do some trash talk with him and Stuart Broad, but it was a poor attempt.

"One guy in a restaurant tried to taunt us but it fell a bit flat when he warned us to get ready for a green seamer at the Gabba. I looked at Stuart Broad and we said ‘great, can’t wait then’," Anderson wrote.

To win in Australia, you need absolute sole focus on the cricket: James Anderson

James Anderson was part of the England squad that won the Ashes in Australia in 2010-11, and he gave some insight on what is needed to win Down Under.

"Since arriving on this tour I have tried to impress on people what it means to win in Australia, and achieve great things at historic grounds like the Gabba, Adelaide Oval, MCG and SCG. I have also tried to tell the lads what it takes as well. One of the big things that sticks out for me from 2010-11 is how much hard work we put into that trip," Anderson wrote.

"We were all absolutely knackered at the end of it. When the Tests come thick and fast it can be brutal but if you get on a role and play good cricket, which we did then, it can help as well," he added.

Anderson said that players will need to be completely switched on and be completely focused on the match.

"To win here you need absolute sole focus on the cricket and to throw yourself into it. The challenge this time is for individuals to flick the switch mentally after so little cricket. Everyone will be feeling their way in for the first Test match," Anderson wrote.

James Anderson was a part of the England squad that won the Ashes in Australia in 2011.

"If batting you need to use your partner so it does not feel like 11 versus one. Similarly with bowling, sometimes things can go badly for you as a bowler. If you feel events are spiraling out of control, use the people around you to slow things down and help you through that," he added.

The Ashes series is set to begin on Wednesday. The first match will be played at the Gabba in Brisbane.