By Rob Barnett
James Anderson says England think they have “a good chance” of winning the World Cup.
Anderson and the members of the 15-man squad not already Down Under for the Big Bash League flew out to Australia yesterday.
The 32-year-old paceman is set to play in his fourth World Cup, which comes hot on the heels of the Tri-Series with Australia and India.
Although England won just one of five one-day series in 2014, Anderson and his team-mates believe they can mount a World Cup challenge in Australia and New Zealand, the co-hosts.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk, he said:“We honestly think we’ve got a good chance. We know we’ve got a huge amount of talent in our team and we can certainly challenge the best teams around.
“I think once we get to the World Cup it’s all about getting some momentum going. If you can get on a run, you can get to the quarter-finals and you’re just two good performances away from getting to the final.
“That’s the way we’re looking at it and hopefully we can surprise a few people.”
Anderson’s best World Cup campaign was 12 years ago when, as a 20-year-old with just nine one-day international caps, he took 10 wickets in five games, including four memorable Pakistan scalps at Cape Town.
“It’s an amazing experience I think,” Anderson said of the World Cup.
“For me, looking back, my first World Cup in 2003 was a fantastic experience in South Africa and it’s something that I’ll never forget. It was quite early in my career.
“It does mean a huge amount, particularly you’re representing your country and you’ve got a chance of winning a trophy, a major trophy, and that’s something that we’re all really excited about.”
Brothers in arms! CJ and @jimmy9 say hello before checking in pic.twitter.com/tIeuSUhEaR
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) January 6, 2015