October 6th 2024.
James Anderson, the former England bowler and current bowling mentor, has been making headlines recently as he participates in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. This decision, however, means that he will miss the beginning of England's Test series against Pakistan, which starts in Multan on Monday.
The upcoming series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 and England, currently sitting fourth in the table, will be looking to replicate their previous tour of Pakistan in 2022, where they achieved a remarkable 3-0 whitewash. However, their preparations will have to go on without Coach Anderson, who is instead participating in the Pro-Am event at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Some fans and pundits have criticized Anderson's absence and pictures of him teeing off at St Andrews have only added fuel to the fire. However, England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, has no concerns about Anderson's absence and insists that the 42-year-old's decision to participate in the golf tournament does not bother him.
In fact, McCullum even joked about Anderson's golf skills, saying that he thought he was going to miss the cut. He also pointed out that just two months ago, people were saying Anderson was not ready to be a coach yet, but now they are missing him.
McCullum believes that Anderson's presence as a mentor is a testament to the positive impact he has made in a short period of time. He also stated that in today's world, communication can still happen without being face-to-face, and he has no concerns about Anderson's absence.
The decision for Anderson to miss the start of the tour was a combined one, according to McCullum. He explained that Anderson has recently made a big transition from being a player for over 20 years to becoming a coach, and he is also working as a bowling consultant. McCullum believes that they have to take what they can get from Anderson, as he is not on a full-time contract.
Additionally, McCullum emphasized the importance of players being able to have a life outside of cricket, especially with the demands of the international cricket calendar. He believes that if Anderson was at home with his family, there would be no issues, but because he is playing golf, some uncertainty has arisen.
England goes into the series on the back of a successful summer, defeating the West Indies 3-0 and Sri Lanka 2-1. However, they will be without their captain and all-rounder, Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained while playing in The Hundred. In his absence, batter Ollie Pope will continue to lead the team, as he did during the Sri Lanka series.
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