Veteran England Pacer gets backing from Ricky Ponting despite poor showing at Ashes 2023

James Anderson was recently the number 1 ranked bowler in the ICC Men’s Test bowling rankings after his outstanding away game against New Zealand.

James Anderson has so far taken just two wickets in three innings in the ongoing 2023 Ashes. (Image: Twitter)

New Delhi: Despite James Anderson’s poor form in the ongoing Ashes against Australia thus far, Ricky Ponting believed the veteran fast bowler will eventually find his rhythm and groove later in the series. In three innings, 41-year-old Anderson has managed to score just two wickets, averaging 81.00 so far.

He only returned by a single wicket in England’s loss to Australia in the First Test at Edgbaston. Also in the running second game at Lord’s, which is being played in overcast conditions, Anderson couldn’t let the ball do the talking and only managed to claim one wicket from Mitchell Starc. Anderson’s mark in the first innings of Lord’s Test was 1/53 in 20 overs.

The veteran fast bowler was recently the number 1 bowler in Tests after his outstanding showing in the away games against New Zealand. While still second in the standings behind India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, Anderson will need to pull his socks off in the remainder of the 2023 Ashes to maintain his position.

According to Ponting, it would be foolish to write someone like Anderson out despite his poor performance. “You never write off champions. That’s one thing I know about the game. James Anderson has been a champion of the game and will continue to be until he wants to pull up stumps,” Ponting said on ICC Review.

“In terms of skills, it still seems like it’s all there. But I think inside he feels like he’s probably not quite at his best right now,” said the former Australian captain. “I think in the first game at Birmingham he said he felt he was probably not at his best. He lacked a bit of rhythm. The ball didn’t come out exactly the way he wanted,” he added.

“And this morning in the pre-game I was asked who I would have started the innings with this morning, and I actually left Anderson,” he concluded. England are 0-1 down in the series and are not looking good in the second test either. Replying to Australia’s 416 in the first innings, England were all out for 325, giving the opposition a vital 91-run lead with over two days left.