James Anderson thinks England's ODI form will translate to Ashes
Wednesday 24 June 2015 13:27, UK
James Anderson is confident England can translate their sizzling one-day form to the forthcoming Ashes series against Australia.
The national side beat New Zealand 3-2 in a superb one-day international series and then defeated the Black Caps in a one-off T20 match at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
The team won those games playing an exciting brand of attacking cricket, which was been in stark contrast to the more conservative style which culminated in a dreadful performance at the World Cup.
The new-look England continue to impress, with Sir Ian Botham stating his belief that the ODI series win will give the Test team great confidence for the Ashes, a view with which Anderson concurs.
“I’ve enjoyed watching all of the one-day games and it did feel like we had turned a bit of a corner in the Test matches against New Zealand as well,” Anderson told Sky Sports News HQ.
“We were playing really positively in that and the one-day side has taken it onto a new level. Going forward we want to take that into the Test side.
“It is possible. The positive feel isn’t just throughout the team at the moment, it’s through the whole public; the grounds are sold out and there’s a buzz about English cricket which we have to hope will translate to the Test series.”
As well as that enthusiasm for English cricket, Anderson feels the team will also be enhanced by the balance of the side.
New players such as Mark Wood and Adam Lyth have been added to the Test team alongside a more established spine, and although England drew the two-match series with New Zealand in May, Anderson is confident they will be able to cope with the traditionally hostile Ashes environment.
“We’ve got a really good balance of experience and youth in the Test side and we’re really looking forward to continuing in this positive frame of mind,” he said.
“Australia are a very positive side and we’re going to have to fight fire with fire. Hopefully we can do that from the off at Cardiff and get on the front foot straight away.
“There is a lot of history between the two teams and the Ashes is a huge series for both sets of players.
“It’s important to get the balance right between playing the game in the right spirit and having that competitive edge.”
