Giles signs the congratulatory Slazenger flag to commemorate Anderson's Test record. |
Lancashire Head Coach and Director of Cricket Ashley Giles commented on the incredible achievement of England fast bowler James Anderson after he overtook Ian Botham's record of 383 Test wickets against West Indies.
At the signing of a Slazenger flag at Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday, the former Ashes winner and England One-Day coach spoke about what a remarkable feat Anderson had achieved and how he would not have got where he is today without plenty of hard work.
"When he first came on the scene he was a breath of fresh
air in that he was able to bowl at 90 miles an hour and swing the ball both
ways and I think at times he didn’t really know how he was doing it. Over time
he has become more and more professional, knows his skill inside out and that has got him to
where he is, a record-breaker and one of the best swing bowlers in the world," he added.
The Lancashire coach represented England in the early stages of Anderson's international career and reflected on how his talent, even at a young age, took people by surprise. "I played with him on his [England] debut and he
had raw pace but he also swung the ball prodigiously and those are x-factor qualities. If you’re bowling 90 miles an hour and swinging it both ways, you’re going to be
a handful for any batsman.
"There are times in your career when there will be people who
doubt you and think that you are passed it and now suddenly he has been
immoratlised by breaking the world record."
Giles then had the opportunity to coach England's One-Day squad, as Anderson continued to prove his potential in limited-overs cricket, helping England to series victories against West Indies and Australia in 2012.
"When I took over as one-day coach I loved
having him in the team because he is actually a very mature and professional
man and he has a lot of good stuff to say when he talks and young guys listen.
He is very knowledgeable and if you think about the amount of cricket he has
played he knows what he is talking about.
"He was excellent with me and I’m
slightly surprised that he hasn’t found himself in a leadership position,
whether it be vice-captain or whatever it may be, because of how much
experience he has."
Giles started his tenure as Lancashire coach with a win at Derbyshire in the County Championship and was delighted to start the season with such a commanding victory. "It’s a great start for the whole team
because you do a lot of through the winter and you talk a lot and you put hard
yards in and you need to translate that into performances.
"I thought the
all-round performance of the team at Derby was extremely good in that there
were contributions from a lot of guys, not just a couple. All the way down they
fought when it was difficult, when they had opportunities to make an impact
they did and ultimately it was a tricky game because Derby played well.
"It was
a good toss to win for them and it was tricky that first morning, but to come
through that with a convincing victory with a lot of guys getting confidence
under their belts, I’m over the moon."
Former England international Ashley Giles was signing Slazenger’s ‘Congratulations Jimmy’ flag which will be touring the country this week. Slazenger is celebrating Jimmy Anderson becoming England’s all time leading test wicker by giving 10% off its entire cricket range. Visit store.slazenger.com and follow @SlazengerSport for more details.
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