The ECB today announced that James Anderson and Charlotte Edwards have been respectively named as the England Men’s and Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2011-12.

They are joined by two other award winners; the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year, Daniel Bell-Drummond, and this year’s England Disability Cricketer of the Year, Callum Rigby.

All four received their awards at a special dinner held in the Long Room at Lord’s this evening which was hosted by ECB and Brit Insurance, the sponsor of all England cricket teams.

Read the full article on the ECB website

England fast bowler James Anderson says the team are not wanting to rest on their laurels after becoming the number one Test team in the world and want to be known as the best England team ever.

Full article on the BBC website

I was asked if Graeme Swann and me have signed a deal whereby he calls me the best seamer in the world and I have to call him the best spinner.

But I found out yesterday it is not just England players who think Swann is the best of his type on the planet. We were coming off the outfield in Colombo when Suraj Randiv, the Sri Lankan offie, asked him: ‘How do you spin the ball so much? I’d love to be able to spin it as much as you.’

If a Sri Lankan spinner who’s grown up in these conditions comes up with that kind of question, that’s some compliment.

I honestly mean what I say. In the conditions we experienced this week there is no better spinner. He’s not got the variation of a Saeed Ajmal but the turn he gets and the constant pressure he puts on a batsman’s inside and outside edge makes him dangerous all the time — and on helpful pitches almost unplayable.

Some bowlers might get intimidated by being expected to take wickets on turners, but Swann thrives on that. He wants to show people how much he can spin the ball. And when he is the main spinner in a four-man attack he also thrives on that extra responsibility.

No other bowler in world cricket puts as many revs on the ball nor lands it where he needs to more often, and he knows where and how to work a batsman out.

So, all in all, there’s not much I can criticise him for. Even when it comes to all-round irritability he seems to be maturing with age, like an old cheese. I think he’s definitely learned when to be a buffoon and when not to. It’s about bl**dy time!

It has been a very tough winter for one reason or another but, from a seamer’s point of view, it has been very encouraging that the spin department hasn’t had it all its own way. I’m looking forward to more helpful conditions back home but we’ll be back in Asia at the end of the year for four tough Tests against India. The fact that our quicks had some success in the UAE and here means we’ll go there with confidence that we shouldn’t have to rely too heavily on the twirlymen.

Calm Straussy told us to ‘take control’

Everyone realised Straussy has been under some pressure, mainly from himself because he has not scored the runs he would have liked to this winter.

But as an England player, I know this team wouldn’t be where we are and would not have achieved what we have without him at the forefront. He didn’t just take over the captaincy in 2009, he took over the team. He put the emphasis on players taking responsibility for their actions and performances.

As a leader he has been a brilliant, calming influence. Take yesterday’s run chase. He made a point of reminding us about Abu Dhabi and told us to go out and take control, rather than try to winkle out the 94 we needed.

Pace of KP’s knock set up our victory

Kevin’s batting in the first innings showed how lucky we are to have him playing for us rather than us having to bowl against him. I’m sure he does wish he could be a bit more consistent. Who doesn’t think that about their job?

But when he plays like that he can take the game away from the opposition. In terms of time, his innings earned us an extra session in which to try to force our win.

On a pitch on which 21 others struggled to score, he did so at such a rate we were able to go past their first innings score with ease and set up the win.

That’s what I call a well-earned drink

Here in Sri Lanka, I’ve been hotter on a cricket field than ever before. That’s why I went on the wagon for the past couple of weeks. But we deserved our reward for some hard work yesterday — so you’ll forgive me if I happen to wake up this morning with a slightly sorer head than of late. Cheers.

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England captain Andrew Strauss received support from Jimmy Anderson, who described calls for the skipper’s head as ‘ridiculous’.

‘I utterly reject the notion that if we lose in Colombo he should go as captain,’ he said. ‘He’s the ideal man for the job. He’s having a bad trot with the bat, but that happens. Even the greats go through it.

‘But he’s been absolutely fine, his normal self, very calm, not allowing things to get to him. He knows we’re doing the right things and we’ll turn the corner. The lads have every faith in him. Less than a year ago he was captain of a side that became the best in the world. You don’t become a rubbish side and a rubbish captain in four games.

‘We’re frustrated because we know how well we can play and we haven’t done ourselves justice. We deserved to get to No 1 and we’re desperate to prove we still deserve to be No 1. But we’re not playing anywhere near the standards we’ve set ourselves, and it’s down to us to start.

‘This is the kind of test that will prove we deserve our status and, if we can, it will silence a few critics. It’s a chance to make a statement.’

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James Anderson and his Test teammates are ready to make what previous generations of England tourists would have considered the ultimate sacrifice in their attempt to retain the world No 1 spot in sweltering Sri Lanka – a fortnight on the wagon.

The forecast for the first Test starting tomorrow in Galle and the second of the two-match series commencing in Colombo four days after the first finishes is the seasonal norm for this part of the world – ‘Scorchio!’ and getting scorchier, a combination of brain-frying temperatures of 40 degrees-plus and lung-bursting humidity that makes every waking moment a sweating one.

Mindful of the debilitating and potentially dangerous effects of dehydration, leader of the bowling attack Anderson has decided to stay clear of alcohol until the end of the Test action, on April 7 if the contest goes the distance, and he expects most, if not all, of his colleagues to follow suit.

Anderson said: ‘You cannot overstate the importance of being properly hydrated in these conditions. There are not too many big drinkers in this team, so it’s not a massive issue for us, but the lads just don’t want to do anything that could detract from our performance or could possibly cause us issues on the field.

‘So far on this tour, if we’ve a had a beer a few days out of game then it’s been literally two or three. But with the games so close together I won’t have a drink now until the end of the second Test. I don’t think I’ll be the only one … we have a job to do out here.’

A long list of former England stars might find such self-denial hard to swallow, but Anderson and Co are taking deadly seriously the issues of keeping outwardly cool and inwardly hydrated in conditions one former England coach once described as ‘very nearly too hot for Europeans to be playing cricket in’.

Anderson said: ‘From the moment you walk out of your air-conditioned hotel room you start sweating and you don’t stop all day. Even Alastair Cook, never previously known to perspire, had a bead on the other day when he made his 160. He panicked so much he sent for boxfuls of new gloves. If your kids were out in it you’d call them back indoors.’

And those concerns extend beyond straightforward physical well-being.

‘There are several potential problems: some of the lads have been getting headaches, we’re aware of Graham Thorpe finishing the Colombo Test back in 2001 on a hospital drip.

‘There is no doubt that the heat can disrupt your focus and shorten your fuse, and we can’t allow that to happen. And, as a bowler, sweating hands means it is very hard to keep the ball dry, especially if we want to get reverse-swing.’

But equally, the 29-year-old who, with 249 Test wickets needs four more to overhaul fellow Lancashire legend Brian Statham to become England’s fifth highest Test wicket-taker, believes England are well prepared, with a range of measures to maintain their cool.

‘Some of it can be psychological, in that if you go on about how difficult it is going to be, that can also drain you. We have to accept it’s going to be hot, accept it’s going to be 10 days of tough cricket because we don’t want anything to take away from our concentration.

‘But two weeks getting acclimatised has helped and there are measures we can and will take to make sure we are as near to peak levels as we can be.

‘We’ll be weighed first thing in the morning then last thing at night to make sure we are not losing too much; I’ve been dropping half a kilo a day, which is OK, but Matt Prior shed 4kg last week and that sort of loss could be an issue.

‘And I think myself and Stuart Broad will have to bowl shorter spells.’

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A hard two-month trip to the desert ends this week and England have learned plenty of lessons from Pakistan… but we also have many reasons to be confident about the future.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

The tour must have seemed pretty back to front for most people because the expectation was that we’d do well in the Tests but maybe struggle in the one-day series.

At the back of our minds we probably thought we would have a better chance in the Tests than the one-dayers but, as it turned out, we got comprehensively outplayed in the five-day format and had to show enormous character to bounce back..

MY LOWLIGHT

That is not a difficult one. To work so hard to take 20 wickets in Abu Dhabi and set up a victory target of 140-odd and then get skittled in the way we did was horrible.

It’s never pleasant to be bowled out cheaply, but it’s especially painful when you are chasing only a small target and victory feels so close.

The changing room on that Saturday night after losing the Test series was not a nice place to be.

We were all shellshocked and angry, and that’s not something I want to experience again.

MY HIGHLIGHT

To bounce back in the manner in which we did to win the one-day series ranks pretty high on the list of things this team has achieved.

The character shown not to melt away after the Tests was immense and it was a testament to the mental strength in this squad that we were able to do that.

We could easily have sulked and felt sorry for ourselves but we dusted ourselves down and took the fight to Pakistan’s spinners.

LESSONS LEARNED

In the Tests we allowed their spinners to build pressure and were too tentative, especially against Ajmal and Rehman. We allowed them to dictate.

We let ourselves down by not posting big totals in the first innings and chasing in the fourth, which are things we’ve done brilliantly over the past couple of years.

I’m sure our batsmen will be working hard to iron out those problems before the Sri Lanka tour.

On the plus side, we know we can take 20 wickets on a regular basis on these types of wickets and that is a huge plus for the remaining tours this year.

WHO STOOD UP?

Alastair Cook just loves proving people wrong. There’s a theory going around that he’s playing badly in Tests and brilliantly in one-dayers to help speed up Straussy’s exit from the Test side!

I don’t buy that personally, but I do buy that he has transformed his game amazingly well and is now a high-class one-day performer.

People might think he is stubborn because of the way he bats, but as a captain I was really impressed with his flexibility and willingness to listen.

You wouldn’t have got that if Swanny had been skipper!

The great thing about this squad is that there is room for all types of characters and personalities – and Kevin Pietersen certainly does things his way.

He has struggled in one-day cricket in recent years so to see him come back in so much style was fantastic.

He’s an integral team member in all three formats and it’s really important he’s firing because it allows the younger players to go out and play without fear.

You don’t all have to get on brilliantly all the time to form a really strong team, but you do all have to buy in to the same goals and KP has certainly done that.

It’s great to see him back to his best.

Ravi Bopara is one of the most talented players I have ever bowled at, and, in terms of pure ball-striking ability, there are few better in this England squad.

The selectors should take a lot of credit for sticking by him because he has had his detractors, but he showed enormous maturity in the one-day series and repaid their faith.

He is one of the most aesthetically pleasing batsmen out there and it would be fantastic for England if he can cement his spot.

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE

It is a bit baffling that none of us got picked up by the IPL franchises when the auction occurred. I’m not sure what the relationship between the ECB and BCCI is like, but I’m sure there is no ‘anti- English’ sentiment on behalf of the franchises.

My only thought is that they are not picking us because we’re not available for the entire tournament.

It’s frustrating because we don’t play much Twenty20 cricket and the only way to improve is to play more.

THE ALL-NEW MIGHTY FINN

I see a lot of myself in Steven Finn. He’s really come out of his shell in the past year or so.

He is a fierce competitor and you can see from the way he trains that he is striving for perfection.

His dedication is paying dividends and he has developed into a serious performer.

Finny is a fixture in the one-day side and Broady and I will be looking over our shoulders in the Tests too.

WHAT NEXT?

We have a couple of weeks at home and fitness will be high on the agenda before what is sure to be a gruelling tour of Sri Lanka.

It’s going to be seriously hot out there so the stamina and aerobic fitness of the quick bowlers are going to be incredibly important.

SRI LANKAN TEST

The trial by spin is not going to go away, but the one-day series here has helped us enormously in terms of coping with the pressure that comes with facing spin on sub-continental wickets.

I’m certain that will stand us in good stead for Sri Lanka.

Saeed Ajmal started the Test series looking like the best spin bowler in the world, but by the end of the one-dayers he looked like just another bowler.

Our batsmen worked out a method to him and that will give them enormous confidence.

Batting with confidence is everything and we must not be timid when we take on Sri Lanka.

The Test series whitewash may have dented our confidence, but it certainly has not damaged our belief in what we are doing.

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Of course it would be a huge blow if we lost this Test and suffered a series whitewash.

It never entered our heads that we would find ourselves in this position at the start of the series and I still can’t really believe we are 2-0 down and in such a tight spot in this final Test.

No doubt, people will criticise our performances – and rightly so, to an extent – but I have absolutely no doubt we are a better side than the scorelines have suggested and I retain complete faith in this squad of players to learn lessons from how this series has gone, then come back stronger.

Besides, we are not completely out of it in this Test and we will fight every inch of the way to save it.

We have been in plenty of difficult spots down the years and found ways of getting out of them.

There is a lot of character, a lot of skill and a lot of belief in this group of players and we are going to need to show that more than ever over the next few days if we are to save this Test match.

The pitch has definitely flattened out but, if we bowl well in the morning, we can still make inroads and give our batsmen a chance to show their real class.

The way Younis and Azhar batted today was an example, not just to our batsmen but to the entire world, of how to bat on these kind of wickets.

The DRS didn’t even seem to feature when they were batting.

They just moved their feet brilliantly and took our spinners out of the game, even though I thought Monty and Swanny bowled pretty well. We stuck at the job in the field but, obviously, it was incredibly frustrating that we weren’t able to make a breakthrough in two sessions.

It’s going to be a massive test of our resolve to get out of this.

People have asked me about the prize money of nearly $500,000 [£316,204] that we could lose if we are not ranked No 1 in the world on April 1, when the ICC hand out the awards for the top-ranked teams.

But I can 100 per cent say that prize money has not even been discussed in our dressing room.

The only thing that motivates the players in this England squad is performing well for their country and trying to become better cricketers every single day.

There is a huge pride in wearing the England shirt and every single one of us wants to maintain our No 1 position in the world for as long as possible.

No amount of money could motivate us to try harder or be more committed than we already are.

I can understand if fans aren’t happy with how we’ve played, but I can assure everyone who is following us that we will be doing everything possible to right the wrongs of the last few Tests.

We are a better side than we have shown since we have been out here.

We’re determined to prove that.

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People might imagine there would be a huge panic in the dressing room when a batting collapse is happening, with players running around like headless chickens throwing kit on left, right and centre and struggling to get out to the middle in time.

But, to be honest, it’s rarely like that.

Yesterday, as the wickets began to tumble and it began to look as though things were going against us, the dressing room remained a pretty calm place to be.

The over-riding feeling was one of shock. Shock that we’d allowed a winning position to slip away so easily and shock that we’d allowed a pressure situation to get the better of us.

We’ve shown time and again over the past few years that we can handle it when the heat comes on, so it’s bitterly disappointing to have worked so hard to get so well placed, only to throw it away so quickly and cheaply.

It’s just depressing when you think of all the effort that has gone in and the whole team feel dejected and frustrated. It is undoubtedly one of the most difficult defeats I’ve been involved in while playing for England because we know there’s nothing we can now do to pull the series back.

As a professional sportsman, I hate losing and losing a series hurts a great deal. It’s not something that has happened often to this England team and, believe me, no-one is hurting more than the players in that dressing room.

I’ve played in England sides in the past when the bowlers or the batsmen aren’t delivering and it becomes so easy to point fingers and play the blame game. It’s divisive and unhelpful.

But this is a different England team and it is absolutely not the time to start splitting into bowling or batting units and saying ‘it’s your fault’.

The batsmen have been absolutely fantastic for us over the past couple of years and have more than delivered the runs the bowlers have needed to set aggressive fields in order to win matches.

It’s really hard to put your finger on why things aren’t happening for them at the moment.

I genuinely thought taking 20 wickets would be the most difficult thing when we came out here and it never really crossed my mind that our main issue would be putting runs on the board.

We know there will be people who will be saying it’s the same old story with England on the sub-continent, not being able to play spin well.

But I genuinely believe we have the players in this squad to succeed on these kinds of pitches. There is a huge amount of talent in our batting line-up.

It’s unusual to have three tours to the sub-continent in one year so, even though this might be a painful experience at the moment, we need to ensure we learn the lessons from these defeats and become a better team for them.

What’s really annoying is that we were so much better in this game than we were in the first Test – Monty Panesar was brilliant on his return and Broady batted and bowled superbly – but clearly we fell way short of the mark in chasing a gettable total.

We’ve said we want to stay at No 1 in the world for an extended period of time, But if you’re losing Test series that is clearly not going to happen. We’ve worked so hard to get to where we are and we need to ensure we re-double our efforts to stay here.

We’re all feeling pretty raw and dejected at the moment and it’s important we pick ourselves up and stay strong, and maintain our belief. We certainly have not become a bad side overnight.

Some of us have our families here at the moment so we’ll probably spend Sunday with them. Even though they’ve been out for four or five days we’ve hardly seen them because we’ve been playing.

We need to clear our heads and set about restoring some pride after a bitterly disappointing couple of weeks.

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We didn’t just let ourselves down in the First Test but we let our management and supporters down, and we are acutely aware that our performance was nowhere near good enough.

Life as a professional sportsman is all about winning, so to lose in that manner, hurts a great deal.

As a coach, Andy Flower had every right to fly off the handle at us for the way we played, and in particular the way we batted, against a Pakistan team who performed with far more focus and sharpness than us.

Andy cares passionately about this England side and does everything in his power to ensure we are immaculately prepared, which makes it all the more frustrating that we seemed to be caught cold on that first morning. Being bowled out for under 200 on that wicket was pretty inexcusable.

Saeed Ajmal is a fine bowler — and it’s for the ICC to decide on his action, not us — but I actually didn’t think he bowled particularly well, even if he did take seven for 55.

Our batsmen just made poor decisions and we paid a heavy price for that. Despite the substandard nature of our performance, Andy kept his calm and delivered an honest and frank assessment in what was an admittedly shell shocked dressing room.

People have pointed to the fact this was our first game since being named the world’s best Test team and that the pressure might have got to us, or we believed our own Press.

Some of the abuse on Twitter has been especially severe, and rightly so. But the fact we’ve just been named the No 1 team is irrelevant.

It wouldn’t matter when we produced a performance like that, it would still be unacceptable.

We set ourselves high standards as a team and we fell well below them. It’s not a question of having to completely rethink our game plan or reinvent the wheel, and we certainly haven’t become a bad side in one performance. Our batsmen just need to make better decisions.

We’ve earned the right to be called the world’s best Test team and next week will show if we are good enough to stay there.

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It has not taken long to slip back into touring after a break that reminded us all what normal family life is actually like.

We have a fantastic team spirit in this England squad and are as close as most family units, but I challenge anyone to spend months in the same hotels as the likes of Graeme Swann and not get at least a little irritated!

We’ve got straight back into that family mentality after just a few days back on tour.

We are in each other’s rooms playing computer games, watching films and watching the Australia and South Africa Tests whenever we have had some time off.

It has been a pretty intense week of training and we have had to fit plenty in because of the short turnaround before the Tests, but the facilities out here in Dubai are quite outstanding. I’ve been here for brief stays but never an extended period.

From the week we have had, it seems like a great place to tour.

We are in a great hotel with some top-notch restaurants close by, so there is plenty to do if we do get time off.

But we won’t forget the main reason we are here… and that is to win a Test series and maintain our position as the world’s No 1 Test team.

Tim Bresnan is struggling a bit with his elbow and Matt Prior is being pretty cautious about his thumb. It is a bit sore and he doesn’t want another knock, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.

We have got all bases covered with our bowling attack.

We have got tall bowlers, fast bowlers, swing bowlers. Graham Onions is out here as well for back-up. There is quality all the way through if there are injury worries.

Steve Finn is genuinely quick now and he can trouble people with his pace.

He also reverses the ball well. That is a natural thing that happens with age and experience.

He is a bright young lad and he wants to learn. He is going to get better and better.

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