He was once told to get ready for a broken arm by Michael Clarke but it seems James Anderson still wants to have a beer with the bloke.
Speaking at the launch of a documentary about Maasai Warriors playing cricket, Anderson let out some gossip that Alastair Cook’s offer of a post-match beer between the two teams was refused by Michael Clarke.
“It’s Cooky’s idea. He went and asked them. We were all happy to do it. I don’t know why they didn’t come in,” Anderson said.
“That’s their prerogative. In the New Zealand series, we had a beer after each game with them. We found that was quite an enjoyable thing, just to chew the fat after a hard Test. It didn’t matter whether we won or lost.”
As good as the cricket was between England and New Zealand, it wasn’t the Ashes. Yes, there’s a tradition of a sharing a beer after a cricket match but that’s just what it is, a tradition. The last such Ashes occurrence appears to have been 10 years ago. Ricky Ponting admitted having a chat over an ale created a friendly atmosphere between the two teams, but he also added that it may have cost Australia its competitive edge.
2005 was also before social media became a real force. Those same people today on Facebook walls and hiding behind twitter hashtags wondering why Clarke was so uptight as to not have a beer with Cooky would have been the same people admonishing the captain for not taking the Ashes series seriously and taking too much joy out of a loss if he and the players did venture in for a Foster’s.
Besides, Michael Clarke doesn’t do tradition as we’ve witnessed in the past, including his 2009 spat with Simon Katich when he allegedly wanted the team song to be sung early so he could leave to be with his family.
In short, Clarke was right to deny the offer of a beer until the series is over.
Those harping on about the 1981 days forget about how far professional sport has come. Those guys weren’t getting paid huge sums of money. Sure they wanted to win just as much as the current players but they also had the right to do it on their own terms. If they wanted to drink cans of beer on the flight over, so be it. If they wanted to light up a few cigars after a net session to ease the nerves then go for it.
Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee even famously had a joke bet against Australia at odds of 500 to 1, which England ended up winning after Ian Botham’s famous century. You can imagine how that would go down in this day and age no matter how small the sum wagered was.
To be fair to Clarke I also can’t imagine his answer to Cook’s request being any different if Australia won the First Test in Cardiff. It may seem like a ruthless attitude but he’s not there to win friends, he’s there to retain a tiny urn (even though he can’t take it home).
A beer between mates is always fun but with enemies it can be awkward. What do you talk about? “Hey Alastair, how funny was it when you got hit in the balls?” To be honest the only reason to be disappointed two professional cricket teams didn’t have a beer together is because we won’t get to hear about what happened between David Warner and Joe Root two years after their fight at a bar. It would certainly help sell the next retired cricketer’s Ashes diary.
JimmyB
Guest
Not really, do tell.
Armchair Expert
Guest
A former Windies player recently said Boon and Merv Hughes visited the Windies room after every day's play in the late 80s/early 90s, it appears the difference these days is a combination of the Australian hierarchy being more dictatorial and different personality types now involved.
Sandy
Guest
Perfidious Albion offer an olive branch.
Armchair Expert
Guest
Not sure about 18 months ago Ronan but they certainly had beers with the Aussies after the 2006 Adelaide test if my memory's correct with the Anderson/Martyn/Clarke incident.
Nudge
Guest
Look to be perfectly honest Col, the Aussies probably would have let them in the rooms because they had just won. Fair chance though that they may have asked those 4 boys to change their pants though first
Riccardo
Guest
Brilliant Existentialist
Riccardo
Guest
Pot. Kettle. Black. Good grief. Your glass house is not the refuge you think it is Basil...
ColinP
Guest
You are invited too nudge, we English have turned over a new leaf....welcome to our land of Amber beverage my antipodean brother
Sideline Comm.
Guest
Agree. The middle of a series after a disappointing loss is not the time to be getting on the sauce with the opposing team. Anderson is a muppet, shooting his mouth off to beat up the Aussies. Honestly can't stand the bloke.
Nudge
Guest
Spot on Ronan. No chance the poms would have come in the rooms. You reckon Broad Swann Anderson and trott would have just waddled into the Aussie dressing rooms after absolutely crapping themselves against our bowlers. I still am amazed that you can have 4 cats all in the same cricket team. Just bad luck you'd suspect
Basil
Guest
if you wondered where Q&A got their audience of terrorist cheering plonkers, well now you know!!
ColinP
Guest
Kum ba yah my Ronan, kum ba yah....
ColinP
Guest
Can't we just all get along??? We should follow cooks admirable approach, I'll go first.....King Kong would you like to come round to mine for a beer after England trounce your lot at lords? I'll buy, but you can pay for the flight
ColinP
Guest
They didn't that is the point King Kong, Anderson has been getting a lot of stick for trying to improve relations...but the Aussie backlash has been embarrassing. New Zealand and England got on really well and enjoyed the cricket, England are trying to repair relations and offer an olive branch to the Aussies, what is wrong with accepting it
James
Guest
your house you do the inviting. besides simply because something is a new idea or hasnt happened recently isnt a great argument against not doing it once you are older than 10. i think they are just drawing a comparison between how new zealand and england acted and how australia and england are acting.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I'd be interested to know whether the England side had beers with the Aussies after they were humiliated at Brisbane 18 months ago. Were they joking around with Aus after they got smashed in the second Test at Adelaide? At what point did the English players start chumming around with the Aussies down under?
colinp
Guest
agree, aussies come out looking like sore losers
Nudge
Guest
Heard nothing either. Don't think that would be the issue. Aussies had just bean beaten in a test match, they would have been shattered. Last thing they would have felt like was to go in the English rooms with big smiles on their faces and wrap their arms around the opposition. If anything I'd be disappointed if they did go in.
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
Nothing but an orchestrated media beat up to portray the Aussies as bad guys. Loud mouth idiots like Haddin have confirmed that but this nonsense from Anderon being a changes man is too little too late. Beers once the result has been finalised will do me
James
Guest
what showboating? i havnt heard anything in the australian media or on here until your comments about broad showboating