Anderson’s father, Michael, was the second-team captain at Burnley Cricket Club, where James was first introduced to the game. Anderson himself says he was “OK at batting and bowling”, until one winter when things began to change.
I do remember the time I became able to bowl quicker, but not the specific moment it happened. At 15, I came back to winter nets at a school in Blackburn and it was coming out a lot quicker. I don’t really know why or how that happened, but it did. My best mate David Brown, his dad Peter – I can’t remember what shot he played – but I remember the bat breaking. I broke a couple of bats that winter and I felt horrific. I felt like something different had happened. I can’t put my finger on why.
People were excited. The captain at the time would say: “Just bowl as fast as you can.” Because it was such a change in pace and my body was still developing, I didn’t really know where the ball was going and I bowled the odd beamer. I beamed Australia batter Brad Hodge, who was playing for Ramsbottom. He sort of punched it off his face. I can’t repeat what he said and I was so apologetic.
In the first over of a game at Burnley I bowled four wides in a row and was thinking “oh my god, this is painful” – then the next ball went straight through the batter and bowled him. It was inconsistent and erratic, but fun.