Edgbaston and The Crucible

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1:05James Anderson:BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Welcome to TailEnders. Thank you so much for having us on TailEnders. We're recording this as the dust settles. And it is settling. In the Crucible at the Crosswires Festival, where we've just done our first live show since 2023, and we're on the stage as the crowd has filtered out the tat from the tat modern table has been collected some unbelievable tat and what a really fun couple of hours that was it was fantastic bookended by matching Tendulka with one of those old commentator style lip mics giving us live updates on the test match that is happening in Birmingham how far is Birmingham from here?

1:43James Anderson:100 miles? I've travelled boy 80 miles? where we can officially confirm that actually as the final as we were singing the final verse of believable timing perfect you put your hand up from your little commentary booth and you went there's been a wicket test over india have won by 336 runs the dream is over in this episode you're going to hear some of the highlights from the live show which did you enjoy it jim nice to be back on stage yeah no i loved it i loved it it was great the live show starting with a snooker table in the middle of the crucible theater it's lifelong dream for me that is going to i mean it was a 70 quid knockoff from argos but it was a lovely moment where i got to play a little bit of snooker in the middle of the crucible really well as well you cleared up you did clear it took me a while but well actually killed 20 minutes of the show didn't it well we can actually now cross that moment where jimmy anson cleared the table in the crucible going for the going for the blue oh rebound green oh blue in oh Oh!

2:48James Anderson:Right, we've just got to take our time on this one. It's the pressure of the big match moment. The weight of expectation on his shoulders. Oh! Oh, God. One hour, 28 minutes. He's got the brown. He's got the blue. Oh, that's quite a... Yeah!

3:13Oh! Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy! Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Anderson! Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy!

3:26James Anderson:Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Anderson!

3:31James Anderson:We should just say that that table was a four-foot table. The balls have still got to be parted, pal. So true. If anything, it's harder.

3:43James Anderson:so it's so nice to all be back together in a live environment but also just be back together in in real life jimmy give us a little update on how you're how you're feeling body wise after a lot of back-to-back cricket how are you yeah i'm actually okay i'm now quite glad that i missed the first few games of the season i missed like six games i think maybe maybe seven no six because the games are coming thick and fast now you know i've not played a lot of county cricket for the last 20 years I've sort of been in and out but I'm really getting a taste of the county grind as people call it because it is literally championship cricket into t20 cricket back into championship cricket for two weeks back into t20s for three weeks and then back into championship for another two weeks it's constant like just gruel like it's hard work and yeah the the I mean the worst example of the the schedule was playing at Northampton accident on the M1 rolling the bus We got back at 4am to Old Trafford and then we had a 3pm game that same day, which is a tough asset.

4:43But apart from that, I've been loving playing cricket again, like consistently getting to know the lads at Lanks as well. I've had a barbecue at my house with everyone round. Craig White, the bowling coach on the guitar, singing.

4:57James Anderson:Craig White. Sorry, the Craig White. Felix White. The Craig White. We've got to get Craig White on a live show at some point. Craig Wright bowled 90 plus, didn't he? Yeah, he did, yeah. Loved Craig Wright. And batted seven. Yeah, fantastic cricket. What's he been playing on the guitar? What does he like? Loads of stuff. Party favourites. Bit of Coldplay. Bit of Guns N' Roses. Oh, wow, okay. You know, anything that people will sing along to. Most importantly, and I know Matching's been going to it, can he play Kruzik? Don't think he can. Okay. But I'm sure he can learn it. So you're having a nice time.

5:28James Anderson:Would you say you're still having a blast? Would you say you're still having a vitality blast? Where's this come from? We just thought of it in the, Craig thought of it in the interval and then we performed it immediately after. I've got to say it landed well. It did land. With the crowd, not with me. Not with you, no. No, that's all right. New. We're not doing this for you, we're doing it for them. I like that we had, for people that weren't here tonight, today, we had Ethan from Yorkshire on stage. He was 14 years old and was almost an exact replica of Jimmy as a 14 year old, but a Yorkshire version.

5:58You had a weird sort of monosyllabic face off for 10 minutes. It was extraordinary environment.

6:04James Anderson:He was the star of the show, that guy. 14. He's all right, isn't he? The cheek of him, though. His favourite ball is Stuart Broad. I'm right here. Get fair attention. My favourite bit about Ethan was his Brit Insurance cricket top. The old Adidas. He's having a vitality blast with that. Training shorts. He was almost a tap modern, just dressed in tap modern. Yeah, walking tap modern, yeah. Greg said that. Wonderful afternoon. apart from the test match. So that's quite a big victory for India. A big margin. Not the barest of margins, the biggest of margins, really. What did you make of this test match?

6:43James Anderson:I honestly, I watched so much of the first test and then because I've been running around Sheffield for the last few days, I'm not really... You're a bloody legend. Yes, thank you for this. I've been running around. But I haven't really seen much of it. I've only caught up on my phone and stuff. that you've watched quite a bit of it? I've watched a lot because it's fallen in between. I was on the Glastonbury Come Down Blues for this show. So I was sort of like, you know, when you're so tired, Jimmy knows it as he just described, the county grind. And I quote, when you are so tired, you cannot move.

7:14And that's when this test came to save me because it was just in front of me. So even though I would have to crawl to the kitchen, I just sat there and watched test cricket. And what I can say is, I am actually, I'm going to put my hands up and say, I'm happy. I've never thought I'd say this, but I'm happy that Kohli and Rohit Sharma aren't here for this series because it feels like the smoke screen's been pulled. And just that top six of that Indian batting order, they're so defined, so clear, so different. You've really got a sense of what is going to be the future of Indian cricket and test cricket.

7:47Pan, obviously, who is fast becoming mine and everyone's favourite cricketer, walk into the crease giggling like a sort of pantomime mischievous villain. Pantomime. Yeah, very nice. Rahul, who cover drives more beautifully than anyone I've ever seen, that is healing in itself. Gil was on course for scoring the most runs of anyone in the Test Series and he's taken to captaincy, leading by example with batting. And he's got this weird shot, Jim, where, you know, we talk about Joe Root catching it behind point and guiding the ball backwards to square. He does a similar thing, but he sort of chops the ball intentionally, almost like he's got a knife and a chopping board.

8:21It's a really strange shot, but he's got so many just beautiful lines. and I think just watching that group of cricketers, Jaisal as well, obviously, who's a young man on a mission who looks angry all the time and like he's got purpose, makes you feel like, oh, we're watching characters in the making and I'm really glad it's 1-0 now because I feel like, as you mentioned to Jimmy on stage today, about Joffre Archer will probably come back in, Bumur will probably come back in and it'll be 1-0 with free to play. England-India doesn't get much better than that.

8:52James Anderson:So Gil has really landed as captain this season, this series with the bat, definitely. We mentioned his captaincy a little bit last time, like it wasn't a huge issue, but that was one of the things. But to score 269 in the first innings and then to then go and score 161 in the second. Unbelievable. It's extraordinary what's happening there. The pressure, as you mentioned this on stage, about the pressure that Indian cricketers feel with a billion people watching and waiting for a mistake or something. The India fans will be unbelievably excited by Shubman Gill's sort of ascension here as captain.

9:25Yeah, well, I think take the fans out of it. Like anyone who becomes captain of an international team, there's always like extra pressure. And certainly the media sort of focuses, oh, can he deal with the pressure? Can he still score runs and play the same way? Shubman Gill is around 30 runs away from being India's highest ever scorer in a series in England. Crazy. Two tests into a five match series. I think Rahul Dravid was the highest series run scorer. I was going to say, if you think about it. And Gil's 30 runs behind that after two tests. It's an absolute joke. And he's captain. So I think he's just taken that responsibility on so well.

10:01And he was always an amazing player, but he's just using it to his advantage. And I feel like he's getting better and better each game. Apparently Don Bradman's all-time record for most runs in a series is 974. So it's not impossible. No, you could get there. You could do that.

10:15James Anderson:It's really amazing to see. There's obviously great skill on show from both teams and some amazing individual performances. But should we be seeing 587 runs in a test match, first innings like that? Where did it go wrong for England? What was going on with the pitch? I'm just, I'm genuinely asking these questions. Should we have batted first and Stokes put them in? Where do you think it was lost? Sometimes I think you've got to give the batting team credit. I'm sure Gary, the groundsman at Borussia, is a friend of the show. he's been on the show he has been on the show yeah but quite often the read on the wicket is difficult at Edgbaston you know you'll think it's carrying and nipping around early on so that's what Ben would have thought as captain he'd think right if there's some movement it'll be first morning first two sessions and it wasn't that it was sort of a pitch that started quite flat and then as the game went on the cracks started to open and variable bounce and scene movement as the game went on so I think in retrospect it's obviously easy to say that maybe he should have batted first.

11:18But I think with the information you're given on the first morning, it's kind of like, you know, you think of Ben Stokes in his captaincy reign so far. I think he's bowled 19 out of 20 times because he wants to chase. So you've got that in the equation. You think it's going to do a bit first morning and you end up in that situation. I don't think England bowled poorly. Wolks had loads of LBWs that could have been given on another day. Umpires calls. Things just didn't quite go England's way. And I think for India, when you're 1-0 down you need stuff like that just to go your way and for a couple of batters

11:49James Anderson:to cash in which they did very difficult to recover from 84 for 5 when you're chasing well you're trying to get anywhere near 5-8-7 but we've said this before generationally we are of England fans that go oh that's the end of it but then then there was there was a fight back and then there was there was Jamie Smith again and that's that's new for cricket fans who have been watching for a while that those sorts of things I mean new-ish it's extraordinary to keep checking your phone and go, oh 80 odd for five, that's the end of that then. And then suddenly you check back again, it's 200, it's 300 for five and you think that's, there's strength in depth, that's an amazing powerhouse in that middle order.

12:30Well, lovely to have, yeah. But I think it's like, I feel like I've gone full circle. I'm sort of, this week in particular, I've gone back to that cricket fan in the nineties when England, they sort of gave you a glimmer of hope against Australia in the ashes or in away ashes. And then all of a sudden they've collapsed again. And I felt like that in that innings. Like 80 for five, you think, oh God, this is going to be a struggle. And then when Brooke and Smith are batting together, you think, God, they might get past them. Just these two batting together. They might get 300 each. But they think they can do that as well.

13:02That's how they're batting. There's no reason they couldn't have done that. But it was that new ball that set off then another collapse in that. You know, were they 400 for five-ish? 380 for five?

13:14James Anderson:Yeah, 387 for five. And then wickets for six. Lost five wickets for 20 runs. 395 for seven, 396 for eight, 407 for nine, and then 407 all out. Yeah. So you'd hope for a little bit more there, but that's where it's lost. India having a 180-run lead, it's such a tough ask from there to win that game. How have you found the bowlers? How have you enjoyed watching Josh Tong? How have you enjoyed watching Brydon Kass? attack, you know, lead the attack. Yeah, I really like all of the, I like the balance of the attack actually. I think Josh Tong we've seen glimpses of, like the ball he got. Rahul, he bowled Rahul, that's a beauty.

13:51That is what, that is him at his best. He's got that angle where his arm comes slightly the wrong side of straight, wrong side of perpendicular, angles into the right-hander and then holds off the seam and gets the off stump or gets the edge on another day. I thought Wolks first innings ball brilliantly, without reward. he got two for I think he could have got five easily and then Kars second innings with the new ball I thought ball I think he went for like 60 off 10 or something like that but he bowled unbelievably well he was bowling Jaffers he got a wiki up Nair out but he could have had more so I really like that balance of the bowlers and then you add Stokes into there and it's promising we just England came up against a few batters that like Pant again Jyswell again like there's batters there that can do damage and they just made the most of their chances

14:37James Anderson:but we've got that as well it's really nicely balanced this series isn't it it is it's a crazy number of runs but actually some unbelievable cricket I think probably it's going to follow the shape maybe of this test where they're quite flat pitches where when batters get in they score runs quickly but then those new ball periods are massive so you probably are going to see test series where every couple of hours it changes so dramatically and that's exciting isn't it you know you're going to get the game it not being like seeming like the same game two hours later, which is good for all that's what we want.

15:10What I love, like the narrative's gonna keep, because in a five match series so much can happen, it's over six, seven, eight week period, it's already, it's 1-1, Archer and Bumber are back for the next game, potentially. Great stories. Even later in the series, potentially Wood will be back, could be back for maybe the last two games or the last game. Imagine if it's 2-2 and then Mark Wood's back for the last game. It's like all these things will keep propping up. And then you've got Kaldip Yadav might still play ragged square at some point. So I just feel like there's so much more to happen in this series.

15:41It's really exciting.

15:42James Anderson:And we move on to Lords next week. Come on. Or if you count Sunday as the start of the week. This week. So it's Lords week, Lords test. One all going into that. That's always an occasion. We will be obviously giving you a little podcast when that finishes. What do you think the changes will be at Lords? Do you think Joffre is going to be playing? I think he will. Would you play him if you were mentoring and coaching now in that time? would you say it's nothing to do I don't think you'd get a say in it it's down to the captain and coach and the physios he's played one game for Sussex he was around the team this week at Edgebaston and bowled a bit so I just feel like you've got to play him you don't it's one of those where you could keep trying to build his overs up and then play him later in the series and it'll be too late by then so I think you've got to play him this game it's too crucial a game not to also for the spectacle you know we last really saw Joff for At-Lords in that amazing Ashes series and that amazing World Cup final that feels like a homecoming in certain respects where he made his mark on the international game so you've got to have him just for the story you've got to have him there obviously for his skills I think that's why part of the reason that India would have rested Bumrah for this game because they know how he performs really well at Lords, big games so they'll think oh we can get a win there and then we've got Bumrah to come back in but they'll be so pleased with a victory without Bumrah because that was a lot of the chat was they've only got one bowler and they clearly haven't no but interestingly Siraj's record without Bumrah in the team is really really good oh yeah do you think he just gets the right end or something the end that he wants when Bumrah's not playing or do you think it's more psychological like he knows he needs to lead the attack I think potentially people go after him a bit more when Bumrah's in the team because they're worrying too much about Bumrah so they think I've got to score runs against him potentially attack him a bit more and he's quite an attacking bowler so he'll give you opportunities to score but then when Bumra's not in the team he might just bowl a little bit more defensively Very interesting we often talk about batting partnerships and we very rarely talk about bowling partnerships but obviously we have with you Jimmy and you and Brodie and historically we've talked about fast bowlers and spin bowlers those great partnerships but maybe it doesn't work in Siraj's favour is there a better bowler that maybe could open up and then Siraj comes in first change I don't know well Akash Deep's done really well this game I think he bowled really well with a new ball I think Siraj is a really like he's a very very good bowler I just wonder if it's really hard to to know why does he try and attack the same way Bumrah does when he's a different bowler I just don't know it's hard to explain I think he's a bit like you Jim he likes that responsibility of like I've got to step up here being the main man yeah loads of exciting stuff to come at Lord's next week.

18:33James Anderson:It will be live on Test Match Special. You can listen on BBC Sounds, on 5 Live Sports Extra, on DAB, and Helen's will be back to do a wrap-up of it as well. Let's have some more highlights from The Crucible from earlier this afternoon. And first up, it's a special Yorkshire edition of meat or no meat. Nothing to do with meat. It's to do with meeting people. No meat. What's our first name going to be? I bought a few today. Got some new stuff got some old stuff I thought just to ease everybody in a quick game of meat or no meat Yorkshire edition. Oh nice Jimmy famously doesn't like meeting many people Most famously couldn't be bothered to meet the Dalai Lama That is I think it's still my favorite I think it might be my favorite ten lenders moment Is it the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday today?

19:29Don't care do not care LAUGHTER

19:37I can't get made around how much you all make a big deal out of this. Like, you desperately want to meet him.

19:42James Anderson:I don't think it's just us that makes a big deal out of the Dalai Lama. I think you're in the minority there. So he's 19, you still said, no, he's not going to be around forever, is he? If he walks in now to CrossWires, would you want to chat to him? Not particularly. What would you say to him? Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Do you want beer? Happy birthday. You're going well. And if he went, cheers, that would be all right? Yeah, better. Okay, great. So the Dalai Lama would no meet. You wouldn't meet him. Yeah, it's very difficult to find anyone Jimmy wants to meet. But wasn't there a round of this where he said it was all those amazing people, and then not that this person's not amazing, but he's like Lorraine Kelly.

20:27James Anderson:Yeah, would meet him. Yeah, there's a few that slipped through the net. Right. So I've got a Yorkshire edition here. Quick fire round. Would you meet these people from Yorkshire? Ready? Brian Blessed. No.

20:45Young Blood. Young Blood.

20:56No? That's two very different ends of the spectrum there.

21:01James Anderson:V liked his earlier stuff, of course. Not fussed about that. OK. The Chuckle brothers, or one of them is still alive. Come on. I would meet... Paul. Yeah, Paul. Meet Paul. Yeah, you've got to meet Paul Chuckle. Dame Judi Dench. Come on. She's not from Yorkshire, is she? I feel like she's one of them that she gets good and everyone goes, yeah, she's from Yorkshire.