James Anderson: Our job is to prevent Australians from feeling good about themselves

If you hit, you need to use your partner so you don’t feel like 11 against one. As with bowling, as a bowler, things can sometimes go wrong for you. If you think events are getting out of hand, use the people around you to slow things down and help you with that.

I’ve heard rumors that maybe a few expatriates would design a Brisbane version of the Barmy Army. There may be up to 1,000 of the 30,000 Australians, so they will have to make a lot of noise to be heard.

Personally, I would love to play three of the five tests in this series. More would be a great bonus. In the summer, I planned to get through all five against India before the last one was canceled, but it will be more intense and the situation will dry up, so we will have to overcome. The same is true for Australia.

The auditory conditions may be different from those we have already experienced in Gabba. The weather is very average and more rain is forecast. But the challenge will be the same. The first morning of Ashes in Brisbane is a wonderful experience. We just have to accept it and remember that we can win.

Azeem Rafiq feels alienated in the cricket wardrobe

We are thousands of kilometers from home, but we are watching the situation of Azeem Rafiq with great interest.

Apparently we discussed this a lot as a group. It was exciting to see cricket played this way. We know that as international cricketers, we got a job to set an example for people, to try to show people that cricket is an inclusive sport.

I was upset when I heard that Rafiq felt alienated and unhappy in the dressing room because this has been my second home for 20 years. It’s somewhere where I felt safe and happy, so hearing someone feel like him is absolutely awful.

My job is to make everyone feel welcome, especially since I’ve grown into an older actor. In my experience, we in England have tried to be as inclusive as possible for everyone who comes.

I spent time thinking back and wondering if I had heard anything and if I should have intervened, but I don’t remember any occasion when something would be wrong or unnecessary. I may have just been lucky, but I hope most others feel the same way.