James Anderson: Vaughan wasn't as good an England captain as others made out and I never felt at ease playing under him
Nasser Hussain, my first England captain, might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, being an intense and fiery character, but he was brilliant for me.
Not everyone was fond of his leadership, but as a 20-year-old plucked from obscurity to take a place on a tour of Australia, he was exactly what I needed. I always felt he wanted to help me, and, crucially, backed my ability. After all, he was the England captain who gave me my first chance.
From the outset, it felt like Nasser was pushing me towards the one-day team when I was called in from academy duty in December 2002. He was always the one who talked to me, offered advice, and left me in no doubt he rated me, whereas I was never sure that anyone else felt that way at the time.
He found the time for me, which, as a young lad coming in, I really appreciated. By his own admission, he could be confrontational or irritable, and some of the other lads didn’t always enjoy being around him because he was also hard-nosed, bordering on aggressive at times.
Driven: Nasser Hussain (right) was like a friendly sergeant major
The unmistakable thing about Nasser was his will to win and how driven he was to make his England team the best they could be. He always sought perfection. In one of my early appearances, a one-day game in Perth, with Sri Lanka needing around 100 runs to win with just two wickets intact, while the rest of the team gathered in a huddle for a drinks break, he maintained his position at mid-off. He had arms folded, chuntering to himself, unhappy that someone had dropped a catch. It was not good enough to win: he wanted to win properly. Perhaps I saw some of me in him – I have always believed you should do your absolute best.
An incident of note came at the 2003 World Cup when, in my best international display to date, I had figures of 4-23 from 9.4 overs against Pakistan in Cape Town. Nasser said: ‘Whatever you do from this ball, don’t go for four. It’ll ruin your figures.’
Cue a rank ball down the leg side that went to the fence, and screams of ‘Oh Christ!’ from somewhere. Abdul Razzaq took me for two more from my final delivery, so Nasser’s warning had gone unheeded.
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He also sought to take some of the pressure off by setting my field on my Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in May 2003. Normal practice is for an opening bowler to discuss field setting with his captain, but it was probably due to my tender years that he set mine and neglected to post a fine leg.
Three times I was clipped to leg for four by Dion Ebrahim in one over, making a pig’s ear of my early figures. Nasser could not have been more apologetic. ‘Sorry, that was all my fault,’ he said. ‘You concentrate on getting into a rhythm.’ It was impossible not to feel how much Nasser wanted you to do well, and because of that you wanted to reciprocate.
Our relationship was good on and off the field. The same could be said of my relationship with Michael Vaughan, captain during my early England years, since his retirement. Unfortunately, despite our cordiality now, I didn’t enjoy Vaughan as a captain.
As a young fast bowler, you need to know that your captain has his arm around your shoulder, if not physically, then metaphorically. Unfortunately, that is not something I ever felt playing under Vaughan. I actually felt alone and isolated when I most needed support.
Lost leader: Anderson believes he did not get enough help from his friend Michael VaughanPrime example of that was my recall for the Fourth Test against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2005. I had spent the first three Tests on tour out of favour. My tour was one big net, and because I had been so far removed from selection, I wasn’t even thinking about playing.
When preferred to Simon Jones, I was underprepared. It was five months since my last first-class action. I didn’t bowl very well. Although I started OK as first change, it wasn’t long before I began dragging the ball down short and wide. I got clattered everywhere and was soon shot of confidence.
Vaughan asked: ‘What’s up, mate? Radar gone?’
‘Yeah, I think it has,’ I said, desperate for some backing. All I received was a pat between the shoulder blades and an instruction to ‘keep going’.
A good captain should know how to talk to his team as individuals. I don’t think Vaughan ever had that in him, a major reason I’ve not held him in as high regard as others have. He was not as good a captain as others made out. He was captain of a truly great team in 2005.
Good captains get players to perform above themselves by putting them at ease. Although a lot has been made of Vaughan’s laconic style, I never felt comfortable playing under him. I never felt he rated me. His language with me was seldom positive and I didn’t like that.
Even during times of sustained personal success, I still didn’t take to him as a captain. All I really wanted was for him to believe in me and my ability.
Anderson on his England skippersNasser Hussain- Test record as captain: W17 L15 D13
We were different characters, with different backgrounds and from different eras, but I always understood Nasser and I even got his sense of humour — most of the time at least.
The best: Anderson with Andrew StraussMichael Vaughan - Test record as captain: W26 L11 D14
Although a lot has been made of Vaughan’s laconic style, I never felt comfortable playing under him. I never felt he rated me and his language with me was seldom positive.
Andrew Flintoff - Test record as captain: W2 L7 D2
Fred was a good mate but, in my opinion, it was an emotional decision to appoint him. The logical choice would have been Andrew Strauss, who stood out in that team. Flintoff was very passionate but as an England captain you need more than that. You need to be tactically astute and switched on.
Kevin Pietersen - Test record as captain: W1 L1 D1
Appointing Pietersen united the England captaincy across all formats once more, which made sense. Everyone is always excited by a change in captaincy, and it is natural to want to help a new guy out. Little did we know what was to follow.
Andrew Strauss - Test record as captain: W24 L9 D14
He is one of the main reasons we have been so successful in the last couple of years. His man-management is one of his great strengths. He knows I am a bit grumpy and he deals with everyone differently. He knows that, while some need a dressing down, others need only a quiet word.
When Daniella lost our baby I was thousands of miles away and just felt uselessDevastatingly, Daniella suffered a miscarriage while I was on a tour of Sri Lanka in 2007–08. Such is the lot of a cricketer’s wife that she had to deal with it by herself.
She had already received the all-clear at the routine 12-week scan but at a scan the following week there was no heartbeat. She was due to meet me in Sri Lanka, from where we were to travel on to the Maldives. Instead, I returned home and we spent a traumatic day in hospital.
I felt useless, being thousands of miles away, and had to suffer in silence. Testosterone-fuelled dressing rooms are not sympathetic places. Naturally, I was upset and wanted to be there for Daniella.
What she had to endure, and my absence so far from home, highlighted the downside to being an international sportsperson. That was one of the most painful experiences of my life.
Daniella is an amazing person who has had to deal with horrific personal loss. She was only 16 when her brother died in a car accident. He was 18, an England Under-18 rugby player with a potential professional career as a sportsman ahead of him. It is a loss that Daniella and her family have to face every single day of their lives.
Home fixture: Jimmy and Daniella just love playing with Lola Rose and Ruby LuxeFor many years, Daniella didn’t speak about it, finding it hard to do so. They say time is a great healer but I am not sure something like that ever heals completely.
We were blessed with the arrival of Lola Rose in January 2009, and Ruby Luxe, born December 2010, both in busy winters. Saying Hello and then Goodbye to your new-born babies is one of the hardest things you do as an England cricketer.
It’s a privilege to play for England but it does present challenges for you as a husband and father. And while I’m trying to take wickets in 35-degree heat in the southern hemisphere, Daniella is single-handedly bringing up two children. When Ruby was born, I spent just five weeks in five months at home.
One upside of the children’s arrival was Daniella getting to know Lancashire players’ families. Kerry Chapple, wife of Glen, became a good friend.
Fatherhood has made me more responsible, more focused on what I am trying to achieve. My form showed distinct improvement from 2009 onwards and, although it is not the sole reason, it has been a major contributing factor.
Losing sleep and running around when back at home, you’d think being a dad was draining. But it has actually done the opposite. The prospect of achieving things for my family spurs me on.
Why I was happy to pose naked for a gay magazine Cover story: The photoshoot that helped break down barriersI had to give my off-field image some thought when approached by gay magazine Attitude to do a naked photoshoot. I was sceptical but Daniella thought it a good idea.
It was a very respectable magazine, she said, and the fact that only three sportsmen had done such a shoot previously — David Beckham, Freddie Ljungberg and Gareth Thomas — was an attraction. In the end, I thought: ‘Why not?’
The boyfriend of Attitude’s editor, a big cricket fan, was keen to get a cricketer on the front cover. Unsurprisingly, my breaking of the ice caused a bit of a stir. At the time there were no openly gay cricketers.
I have never seen cricket as homophobic and believe that any gay player should have the courage to come out. It was ironic that, at the time, wicketkeeper Steven Davies had the same agent as me. It was a brave move for him to reveal his sexuality but when I did the shoot for the issue I genuinely had no idea he was gay.
Cricket’s image needs to be inclusive, and I hope and believe that it is. For me it is the sport that unites a myriad of different backgrounds, races and beliefs.
The magazine just wanted to show that cricketers could be comfortable with gay fans.
Jimmy: My Story by James Anderson is published by Simon and Schuster, priced £19.99. To ordera copy at the special price of £16.99 with free postage and packing, call the Review Bookstore on0843 382 1111 or visit mailshop.co.uk/books
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