Birmingham Phoenix captain Moeen Ali admitted that veteran pacer James Anderson was one of the players he had considered should he face an injury in the bowling department during the ongoing 2024 Hundred season as well. However, the tournament has seen swing bowling did well with pace bowlers making the most of the new ball as well.
Moeen Ali has benefitted from having a prolific seam attack of Tim Southee, Sean Abbott, and Adam Milne in his team, all capable of using the new ball well. Southee is the third-leading wicket-taker in the competition with 14 wickets in eight matches so far, having recently picked up a five-wicket haul after wreaking havoc with the new ball as well.
“Last year we had Woakesy and these guys, they bowled outstandingly well. You want that Test bowler, who can hit a length, swing the ball. If we had an injury, I would honestly have tried to call up Jimmy Anderson, because he would have been awesome. They’ve been swinging it every game. If we had an injury, I have been talking about it,” Moeen Ali said after Birmimgham Phoenix qualified for the Eliminator clash.
“I would’ve tried to get Jimmy to play. Other teams would do the same. He would be amazing in this format, the way the balls are swinging. Who is better than him, when it’s swinging? We had Woody to cover him, but if one of our bowlers went down…! I’m not sure if it’s still possible. On Woody, he is a great guy but his experience…you can’t beat it. He brings a lot to the team,” he further added.
However, James Anderson is currently serving as a mentor to the Test team after his international retirement. Although there is no clarity as to how long the role will last, which leaves him open for future playing commitments as well.
“We’ve been playing outstanding. We lost to two of the top sides – we lost the first because I batted first! We should’ve beaten Brave over here but they bowled really well, so it’d be nice to beat them next game. They and Oval are very good teams, they’re both playing very well. The three best sides went through. I think we have a good balance side and guys are playing well,” Moeen Ali concluded.
