Jimmy Anderson insists England are well prepared for the hostility they expect to face from Australian crowds during the upcoming Ashes series. The Lancashire seamer, who signed a one-year contract extension on Wednesday, believes the squad's previous experiences down under will help them cope with the anticipated 'pommy-bashing'.
Anderson, speaking ahead of the team's departure on Wednesday, acknowledged that Australia can be an intimidating place to play. 'It can't really get more hostile than when we've played there before,' he said. 'Australia in general is a quite intimidating place to play, they are very passionate and very vocal. Hopefully we have enough experience to cope with it well.'
The 31-year-old, who will embark on his third tour of Australia, emphasised that the best way to silence the crowd is through performance. 'The best way to shut them up is to perform well... First and foremost it's important to win and hopefully that will silence the crowd.'
Anderson also backed Stuart Broad to handle any abuse from spectators, recalling how Broad dealt with similar treatment during the 2010-11 series. 'He got quite a lot in 2010-11 and dealt with it brilliantly,' Anderson said. 'We all get stick when we go there, some more than others, and I think if you accept that, prepare for it and have a plan of how to deal with it, that goes a long way.'
Reflecting on the change in management under Andy Flower, Anderson noted that the team's approach to hostility improved after the 2006-07 tour. 'In 2006 we were quite guarded and tried to stay in our own little bubble. I think we did things slightly wrong, we learned from that and last time we went there and tried to embrace it.'
Anderson expressed frustration at the absence of Hot Spot for the series, after Channel Nine dropped the technology for funding reasons. However, he remains focused on the challenge ahead, saying: 'Australia are going to be fairly confident, I imagine, that they can beat us. We're going to have to improve on our performances throughout the summer if we are going to have a chance of winning out there.'
