Ex-England team-mates reveal their experiences with Anderson and Broad

Jimmy would bowl and then fall asleep on the physio bed while we were batting! Former England team-mates tell Sportsmail what it is like to share a dressing room with record-breaking duo Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad

It was a changing of the guard in English Test cricket. 

In March 2008, a 25-year-old Jimmy Anderson and a 21-year-old Stuart Broad were brought together for the first time in whites at the expense of 2005 Ashes heroes Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard.

Thanks to the young pace pair, England won that second Test in Wellington and went on to clinch the series 2-1, the last time they triumphed in New Zealand.

Now, 15 years on, Anderson and Broad are back where it all began at the Basin Reserve looking to win another series, having taken a record 1,009 wickets in their 133 Tests together – eclipsing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne’s benchmark of 1,001 last week.

Here, three of Anderson and Broad’s former England team-mates tell Sportsmail what it is like to share a dressing room with the history-making duo.

 Record breaking Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad face New Zealand this week

Anderson and Broad after beating New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in 2008

MONTY PANESAR (21 Tests with Anderson and Broad, 2008 to 20130

I PLAYED in their first Test together in Wellington. It was a controversial call from the coach Peter Moores to get rid of two Ashes winners. As players, we thought, ‘One big change is OK, but two? Have we effectively lost this Test?’. But Moores was good at bringing in youngsters and he could obviously see something we couldn’t.

One of my memories of Jimmy is when we played Pakistan in the UAE. He wanted the ball to be dry for the best conditions for reverse swing and would always be on my case not to get it wet!

I would end up bowling the ball from my fingers and never have the ball inside my palm because he would be at mid-on watching me very closely. He would say, ‘That was a good over’, not because of how my line and length was, but because the ball was dry for his next over!

I will always have that moment with Jimmy from the Ashes in Cardiff in 2009, when we batted out for the draw together. Jimmy would be asking me how to play the spin and he was helping me against the seam. When we sat down in the dressing room afterwards, it was an unbelievable feeling.

Jimmy used to relax doing crosswords when we were batting. Broady would be chatting about what was happening on the latest reality TV programme. He was into his hand creams, lip balms and moisturisers.

We would play credit card roulette on tour. Everyone would put their card in and whoever’s card was the last to be pulled out had to pay the bill. When Broady’s card came out, he’d do the proper aeroplane celebration like he’d taken a wicket!

The Ashes tour of 2010-11 was when they developed the wobble seam. In the nets, they’d be focused on getting this skill right and it was fascinating to watch how they developed it and used it to expose the Australians. I remember Broady was so fired up on that tour. He was bowling gas in the nets and I felt like he was going to hit me in the head!

Both of them were always very professional in keeping in good physical shape. Jimmy was always athletic, taking vitamins, eating healthy foods. Broady would have ice baths and massages.

What they have achieved together is unbelievable. I don’t think their record will ever be broken.

JONATHAN TROTT (40 Tests with Anderson and Broad, 2009 to 2015)

I PLAYED against England for Warwickshire before the 2009 Ashes and Jimmy was absolutely spraying me. A few weeks later, when I got my hundred against Australia at the Oval, he was batting with me and was running down to give me a hug. It is amazing how quickly cricket changes!

Anderson, 25, and a 21-year-old Broad were brought together for the first time in 2008

I feel very fortunate to have played with them both. They are brilliant bowlers and brilliant ambassadors for English cricket.

They are two of the most professional guys out there – their attention to detail, the way they think about their bowling, the way they handle themselves off the field with what they eat and their fitness. The way they have prolonged their careers, Jimmy especially, is absolutely amazing.

They just love playing for England. Deep down, they are also very much historians of the game. There is a lady who sits at Lord’s and paints and Broady got her to paint a picture of our world record 8th-wicket partnership against Pakistan in 2010. He has got it up on his wall.

They are also both very, very superstitious. I noticed a few things with my trained eye but I won’t spill the beans – just as long as they know that I know!

I remember one funny moment in a team meeting. We used to have separate batters and bowlers meetings, but we decided to have the meetings altogether. The batters started talking about where we should bowl to the opposition batters, and at the end Jimmy just said, ‘Right, we are going back to separate meetings,’ because he didn’t agree with anything the batters said!

They have such high standards but as long as you have the same attitude as them, they are willing to work with anybody. What drives these guys is wanting to get better and making England as good as possible.

I don’t know which of them will go on the longest. You don’t know if they will want to walk off the field together, or maybe Broady will fancy an opportunity to bowl with the wind for a change!

NICK COMPTON (13 Tests with Anderson and Broad, 2012 to 2016)

MY first proper introduction to Stuart was on an England A tour to Bangladesh. He was very confident and very clear on how to go about playing against them.

He wrote on the board ‘bully, intimidate, destroy’ and that is exactly what we did to them. He ran in and bowled short and they had no idea.

That spell he bowled at the Wanderers that won the Test series for us in 2016 was just incredible. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up from my position at backward point.

The way Jimmy bowled in India when we won that series in 2012 was also remarkable. So much is said about his bowling in England, but the way he bowled there made me realise how good he was, as did facing him in the nets when he warmed up.

He would amble in and bowl off a few paces but even then there wasn’t anything to hit. Even if he bowled you a half volley, because it’s Jimmy Anderson, you’d question whether he’d done it for a reason. In the field, it was quite scary fielding to him. You didn’t want to p*** him off!

Deadly duo Anderson and Broad are now the most successful bowling partnership in Tests

They have moved past the legendary Australian duo of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne

I’ve never met a guy who would bowl and then just fall asleep on the physio bed at the back of the changing room when we were batting. It’s clever because he was preserving his energy.

He has been an absolute genius at looking after himself. I have to hold my hand up and say I was someone who was vocal about three years ago in saying that Jimmy should retire.

It wasn’t so much about his record, but the team moving forward and allowing others to take the new ball and take centre stage. I admit that I got that wrong.

To be able stand on the same field and watch two masters of their art run in was very special. I had to pinch myself. It would have been nice to have been in their presence a bit more.

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