“When we had finished, they had left” - James Anderson clears the air on post-Ashes drink controversy

James Anderson is the latest England cricketer to open up on the post-Ashes drink controversy following the final Test against Australia at The Oval. Like captain Ben Stokes, he dismissed claims of England snubbing the Australians and explained that the joint drinking session could not happen due to a timing issue.

After the visitors lost The Oval Test by 49 runs, some sections of the Australian media alleged that England locked their dressing room and skipped the traditional post-Ashes drink with their rivals. According to reports, Australian players kept knocking on the doors but got no response.

In his column for The Telegraph, Anderson explained that England players were also keen to have a drink with Australia, but it wasn’t to be.

“‌There were a few farewells at the Oval, besides Stuart. Moeen Ali was retiring too and our physio, Steve Griffin, is moving on because he has been promoted. So there were a few presentations, and we all said a few words about the summer which is why we missed having a drink with the Aussies. It was just unfortunate timing. When we had finished, they had left,” Anderson wrote.

“We were disappointed too, because we were looking forward to having a drink with them. It was not a snub or anything like that. We saw a few in the nightclub later and caught up then,” the England legend added.

Following the Jonny Bairstow stumping controversy at Lord’s, England Test coach Brendon McCullum said that they wouldn’t be having a beer with Australian players any time soon.

However, in a press conference following the conclusion of Ashes 2023, McCullum said that his remarks were misconstrued.

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“I will keep training and ticking over in the gym” - Anderson on Test future

While his long-time fast bowling partner Stuart Broad has retired following an impressive Ashes 2023 campaign, there have been question marks over Anderson’s future.

Although Anderson did not have a great series, he has made it clear that he has no retirement plans as of now. Amid all the chatter around his Test career, Anderson wrote:

“For me, I just want to take a couple of months off now. I will keep training and ticking over in the gym but bowling can take a back seat for a bit. I just need to get away from it. It feels like it has been a constant conveyor belt of bowling the last few weeks so some time away from it and then see where I am at in a couple of months’ time."

He added:

“‌Then I will think about the New Year and whatever might happen. The chats I have had with England, I have said I have not contributed the way I wanted to in this series on the field, but I feel like I have a lot to offer the team going to somewhere like India in the New Year,” the 41-year-old concluded.

England’s next Test assignment will be a grueling five-match series in India from January to March 2024.