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Jimmy: My Story
England's record-breaking fast bowler reveals the truth behind his remarkable career. In his first book, James Anderson (or Jimmy, as everyone knows him) tells the story of his life in cricket. His career began at Burnley Cricket Club, where he discovered that he could bowl faster than the rest, before he moved on to Lancashire and then England . His early success made him England's golden boy, before a career-halting injury devastated Anderson. But then came a recent glorious return to form and Ashes triumphs , making this a tale of exuberance, determination and sheer force of character.Jimmy Anderson speaks openly and forthrightly about those he has played with and against, the captains he has known, and outlines his thoughts on some of the biggest issues in the game today. It all makes for a compelling read .
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 12, 2015
This is without a doubt one of the best cricket memoirs I've read. Too many cricket books are just bland retellings of a player's great performances and how they got into cricket, with no juicy behind the scenes gossip. This book is very different! Jimmy tells us honestly what he thought of his captains and coaches through the years, and talks in detail about the men who tried to mess with his bowling action. He has stories about other players, the atmosphere in the dressing room and the mistakes that he thinks were made with the England team. He discusses bad selections and bad decisions and is honest about his opinions on everything. There is also plenty of Jimmy's dry humour.
Lets start with the captains and coaches. Jimmy was a big fan of working with Nasser Hussain, who he felt believed in him as a player and helped his development. He didn't feel the same about Michael Vaughan or Troy Cooley who continually messed with Jimmy's action. He felt that Duncan Fletcher had little time for him or the other bowlers and that it was Peter Moores who saved his career. This was fascinating to read about and it explains why Jimmy was out of the England team for so long.
Jimmy has lots of juicy stories to tell-the dressing room cliques that poisoned the atmosphere in the 2005 dressing room, the post Ashes ego clash to show off who had the best sponsership deals, the drinking culture under Fred's captaincy, the disciplinary problems in the team including Jimmy's own curfew exploits, the truth about the Pedalo incident, the fights over the Stanford millions game, the Mumbai Massacre, and a lovely story about how Jimmy hit Michael Clarke with a cricket pad after the Adelaide Ashes game during the whitewash at the urging of Damien Martyn. Loved that bit!
He talks very directly about the choices he felt were wrong-including the obsession with keeping as many Ashes 2005 players in the team when better options were there ie Monty and Chris Read. Bowlers resented being dropped because of their batting, the team meetings focused on how to dress on the flight instead of the job in hand, Strauss losing the captaincy to Flintoff, Paul Collingwood's refusal to call back a Kiwi player in that bad tempered classic ODI game and the Darren Pattinson incident. LOTS of great stuff in these stories!
Jimmy's humour was well in evidence during the book. I loved his reaction to Duncan Fletcher leaving. "I was the personification of Switzerland with splinters in my bum".
This was a funny, entertaining and fascinating look behind the scenes of the most interesting period of English cricket. Congratulations Jimmy for giving the fans a proper book with all the gossip and issues that we want to read about.
Lets start with the captains and coaches. Jimmy was a big fan of working with Nasser Hussain, who he felt believed in him as a player and helped his development. He didn't feel the same about Michael Vaughan or Troy Cooley who continually messed with Jimmy's action. He felt that Duncan Fletcher had little time for him or the other bowlers and that it was Peter Moores who saved his career. This was fascinating to read about and it explains why Jimmy was out of the England team for so long.
Jimmy has lots of juicy stories to tell-the dressing room cliques that poisoned the atmosphere in the 2005 dressing room, the post Ashes ego clash to show off who had the best sponsership deals, the drinking culture under Fred's captaincy, the disciplinary problems in the team including Jimmy's own curfew exploits, the truth about the Pedalo incident, the fights over the Stanford millions game, the Mumbai Massacre, and a lovely story about how Jimmy hit Michael Clarke with a cricket pad after the Adelaide Ashes game during the whitewash at the urging of Damien Martyn. Loved that bit!
He talks very directly about the choices he felt were wrong-including the obsession with keeping as many Ashes 2005 players in the team when better options were there ie Monty and Chris Read. Bowlers resented being dropped because of their batting, the team meetings focused on how to dress on the flight instead of the job in hand, Strauss losing the captaincy to Flintoff, Paul Collingwood's refusal to call back a Kiwi player in that bad tempered classic ODI game and the Darren Pattinson incident. LOTS of great stuff in these stories!
Jimmy's humour was well in evidence during the book. I loved his reaction to Duncan Fletcher leaving. "I was the personification of Switzerland with splinters in my bum".
This was a funny, entertaining and fascinating look behind the scenes of the most interesting period of English cricket. Congratulations Jimmy for giving the fans a proper book with all the gossip and issues that we want to read about.
October 17, 2025
Really enjoyed reading about the rhino hide chunterer that is Jimmy and the shy laid back struggling conversationalist that is James.
I found this to be one of the most entertaining cricket autobiographies I've read. He had some humourous tales to tell (he got the England team doing the sprinkler not Collingwood) and keeps calling Stuart Broad posh. He also said Broady would score many hundred for England back in 2012 whe. this came out. If only that came true.
Revelations that he didn't like Michael Vaughan's captaincy and he felt ignored was a shock especially as Vaughan sees man management as his strongest point when I've seen him give Q&A talks previously.
Thought it was great that he acknowledged the effect Nasser Hussain had on dragging the England team from years of underachieving and what a positive effect he had on his own game.
He's an arm around the shoulder type sportsman which when you see how good he is now and an undoubted legend (Sir Jimmy or Sir James though I wonder?) it boggles the mind that he was ever the sort of bowler that needed that confident boost to get the best from him.
Looking forward to reading his next book and to see if he has any comment on Marlon Samuels' comments to Ben Stokes after his closing chapter praising him in the last Test series v the West Indies in 2012.
I found this to be one of the most entertaining cricket autobiographies I've read. He had some humourous tales to tell (he got the England team doing the sprinkler not Collingwood) and keeps calling Stuart Broad posh. He also said Broady would score many hundred for England back in 2012 whe. this came out. If only that came true.
Revelations that he didn't like Michael Vaughan's captaincy and he felt ignored was a shock especially as Vaughan sees man management as his strongest point when I've seen him give Q&A talks previously.
Thought it was great that he acknowledged the effect Nasser Hussain had on dragging the England team from years of underachieving and what a positive effect he had on his own game.
He's an arm around the shoulder type sportsman which when you see how good he is now and an undoubted legend (Sir Jimmy or Sir James though I wonder?) it boggles the mind that he was ever the sort of bowler that needed that confident boost to get the best from him.
Looking forward to reading his next book and to see if he has any comment on Marlon Samuels' comments to Ben Stokes after his closing chapter praising him in the last Test series v the West Indies in 2012.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2019
I enjoyed this. There is some insight into how a fast-bowler works in general and Jimmy in particular - his focus on using the wobble seam to broaden his repertoire and increase his chance of taking wickets, introduced during the Pakistan series and perfected during the 2010/2011 Ashes is an example.
We learn he read Stephen Fry's biography to stay awake during the birth of his daughter, we learn. I imagine that might bring a smile to Fry's lips, cricket fan as he is (Fry's podcast with Stuart Broad is very good, if you haven't already). It was Jimmy, we learn too, who introduced the famous sprinkler to the team. He can be mardy, and he explains why, in the opening chapter. But there's not a lot of mardy in this book.
Anderson writes, or is ghosted rather, quite drily at times:
The pivotal moment in my opinion came on Boxing Day when we bowled them out for less than a hundred and were 157 for 0 at the close. It is certainly the day I look back upon most fondly.
Yes, I bet you do. We - England cricket fans - quite enjoyed it too.
We learn he read Stephen Fry's biography to stay awake during the birth of his daughter, we learn. I imagine that might bring a smile to Fry's lips, cricket fan as he is (Fry's podcast with Stuart Broad is very good, if you haven't already). It was Jimmy, we learn too, who introduced the famous sprinkler to the team. He can be mardy, and he explains why, in the opening chapter. But there's not a lot of mardy in this book.
Anderson writes, or is ghosted rather, quite drily at times:
The pivotal moment in my opinion came on Boxing Day when we bowled them out for less than a hundred and were 157 for 0 at the close. It is certainly the day I look back upon most fondly.
Yes, I bet you do. We - England cricket fans - quite enjoyed it too.
June 10, 2020
This is a really enjoyable read as it’s very honest, going through career lows and mistakes as well as the highs that cricket could bring.
December 29, 2016
An interesting read, with great insight into the early career of Jimmy Anderson, really showed the value of coaches who understand their athletes - it shouldn't be one size fits all. Without all of the messing about in his early career what could he have achieved
August 22, 2020
Too many statistics and facts. There wasn't enough of a personal storytelling feel.
December 22, 2015
good stuff, no nonsense
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews