James Anderson speaks up on the rumors about the rift with Joe Root
James Anderson-Joe Root (Image Source: Twitter)
England’s most successful Test bowler, James Anderson’s partnership with Stuart Broad has earned the Three Lions many a memorable victory in the longest format of the game. But the duo was surprisingly dropped from the side for England’s tour of West Indies. The English team lost the series by a margin of 0-1and it turned out to be the last series as captain for Joe Root. Speaking of Anderson and Broad, the duo was visibly upset with their exclusion from the side and the same was evident from their strong statements.
The general belief is that Root being the leader of the team at the time had a hand in the omissions of Anderson and Broad. Owing to the same, rumors of a rift between the two most successful Test bowlers for England and Root were ripe. But in a recent interview with Yorkshire Post, Anderson has cleared the air saying he has not fallen out with Root.
“We do talk, we’ve not fallen out or anything, we chatted. I spoke to him before he announced that he was stepping down. There’s still a huge amount of respect between the two of us so there’s no animosity,”- said Anderson
Meanwhile, Anderson dismissed Joe Root with a classic inswinging ball during a County Championship match. Speaking about it, Anderson said – “I’ve watched the video a few times. The thing I liked about it the most is it’s a good ball. It wasn’t intended to reverse but it’s definitely drifted in. It was wobble seam.”
Speaking of England’s Test team, Ben Stokes has taken up the role of leadership for the team after Joe Root stepped down. His first assignment as the captain of the team will be three-match Test series against New Zealand, set to get underway on June 2. Anderson and Broad are set to make a comeback as the new captain Ben Stokes has openly talked about their return. The series will also be Brendon McCullum’s first assignment as England’s test coach.
