Cricket: Interview - James Anderson

When England embarked on their lap of honour after winning the Test series, the thousands of England supporters who cheered them to the rafters would have had to search hard for James Anderson. The young Lancashire lad hung around at the back of the group, a peripheral figure marginalised on this tour and wondering why.

For two months now, pre-match ritual has dictated that, after Michael Vaughan has lost another toss, the last thing spectators see before the umpires emerge is Anderson, in his training gear, bowling at one stump. By the fourth Test, he had already begun with the white ball in anticipation of the one-day series.

When he was not selected for last Sunday's first match in Georgetown, only the third one-day international he has missed in the 29 that England have played since his introduction, he must have wondered whether it was all a bad dream. It wasn't.

"I've been a bit jealous of the others," he said. "I'd played all through the summer and in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. I didn't think I'd done anything wrong there and I'd like to think I've not done anything wrong since."

Anderson's one-day pedigree is good - 46 wickets at 22.63 and an economy rate of 4.6 - and he added: "In the two games I've played [on tour] I think I have bowled better than at any time last summer. So it has definitely crossed my mind that I might have done something wrong.

"If there was something, though, then I know I would have been told. The management have had words from time to time, been very good in that respect, encouraging me. But starting last winter I've been a regular in the side and you start to expect to be in the team. And having been there it is harder to take when you are not in the side."

And that is why he joined the Barbados celebrations reluctantly. Vaughan has always stressed the squad nature of the success but it is easy to feel an intruder even within one's own ranks.

"Winning the match and the series was a great effort by the team," he said, "and it was a great experience watching them going round the ground afterwards. But at the same time it was a bit strange. They didn't have to drag me out, but we let them have the stage while we hung around at the back. It was uncomfortable."