'I was seen as an odd person who liked cricket. I felt like an outcast'
The Guardian|November 12, 2024
The big interview Jimmy Anderson The country's greatest bowler on how cricket saved him from loneliness as a teenager, Bazball, and why his wife, Daniella, is still mad at England
Donald McRae
'I was seen as an odd person who liked cricket. I felt like an outcast'

"I'm not getting too dark here," Jimmy Anderson says quietly as we return to a time when he was a solitary boy in Burnley, "but I remember sitting in my room thinking: 'I wish I wasn't me. I wish I was someone else.' That's not a great place to be at 14. I didn't fit in at school or have a group of mates. The biggest thing for me then was the feeling of being lonely.

"I didn't have close friends. We didn't play cricket at school. I was seen as a bit of an odd person who liked cricket. Why would you like cricket when you can play football and these other amazing sports? I did play them, but obviously not to the same level as cricket. I just felt like an outcast."

Anderson is 42 now but still carries the lean and hungry look of the greatest English Test bowler there has ever been. But he was hurt again in April when Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes ended his Test career. In his revealing and often moving book about cricket and life, which he wrote with Felix White, Anderson describes the encounter in jolting terms: "As I walk towards them, it hits me cold. This isn't a team appraisal, is it? I feel like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, ushered into a room under the impression that I'm going to get made, only to be shot. You fuckers."

Andrew Strauss had tried the same cull in a 45-second phone call in 2022. Anderson refused to surrender and came back fitter and more determined. He writes: "I guess you'd rather be stabbed in the front than the back. This time, it's different. It's both kinder and harsher, more sympathetic and more ruthless and, worst of all, nauseatingly final."

Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin November 12, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin November 12, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

THE GUARDIAN DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Orders will restrict travel
The Guardian

Orders will restrict travel

The warrants relate to the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the Israeli military response in Gaza.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 22, 2024
'I cannot leave now' Guardiola says City's slump sparked new two-year contract
The Guardian

'I cannot leave now' Guardiola says City's slump sparked new two-year contract

Pep Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract with Manchester City that will extend his tenure as the manager to 2027, with the Catalan stating the champions' current bad form stopped him leaving in the upcoming summer.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 22, 2024
The Guardian

Furious drivers hit out at F1 leadership over radio silence

Formula One drivers are fed up and losing confidence in the FIA and the governing body's president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, after receiving no response to their collective criticism of both in a public statement.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 22, 2024
The Guardian

Broja closing in on long-awaited Everton debut

Sean Dyche believes Armando Broja is close to his Everton debut, with the club hoping to fast-track the on-loan Chelsea forward's return.

time-read
1 min  |
November 22, 2024
Vinicius calls for help in ongoing fight against racism
The Guardian

Vinicius calls for help in ongoing fight against racism

The Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has spoken about his fight against racism, describing it as an ongoing battle that he is happy to take on, but warning that he alone \"can't fight all that Black people have been suffering\".

time-read
1 min  |
November 22, 2024
Premier League vote hangs in balance as City tensions rise
The Guardian

Premier League vote hangs in balance as City tensions rise

Premier League clubs and officials were scrambling yesterday to secure support before a totemic vote on the competition's rulebook.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 22, 2024
Maresca unsure of James return date after new hamstring injury
The Guardian

Maresca unsure of James return date after new hamstring injury

Reece James has sustained another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea's Premier League visit to Leicester tomorrow, with his manager, Enzo Maresca, unsure about the time frame on the recovery.

time-read
1 min  |
November 22, 2024
Shaw has last laugh after double earns spot in final eight
The Guardian

Shaw has last laugh after double earns spot in final eight

Long has the Women's Champions League craved the sight of a jam-packed, vociferous, all-standing section of home supporters roaring their team on from behind the home goal.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 22, 2024
Hurtig's late strike knocks Out Juventus as Arsenal progress
The Guardian

Hurtig's late strike knocks Out Juventus as Arsenal progress

Lina Hurtig's late poke-in ensured Arsenal secured a spot in the Champions League knockout stage with two group games remaining, a 1-0 win over Juventus enough to put them clear at the expense ofthe Italian club.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 22, 2024
'It's sad to see the state the RFU is in'
The Guardian

'It's sad to see the state the RFU is in'

Former union chief executive Francis Baron urges game to 'wake up' to financial state amid potential record losses

time-read
4 dak  |
November 22, 2024