Moeen Ali reveals why he would have added James Anderson to The Hundred 2024

Birmingham Phoenix captain Moeen Ali shared his thoughts on the possibility of James Anderson, the Test specialist, returning to white-ball cricket. 

Moeen mentioned that if there had been an injury in his bowling lineup during The Hundred 2024, he would have considered calling Anderson for reinforcement.

Anderson, who has been retired from all international cricket formats since last month, recently expressed interest in playing white-ball cricket again. His last appearance in a T20 game was back in 2014 for Lancashire. Despite his retirement, he is still actively involved as a bowling mentor for the England Test team, a role he will hold until the end of the Sri Lanka series.

After Birmingham Phoenix's qualification for the Eliminator clash, Moeen Ali spoke highly of Anderson’s potential impact in The Hundred. He emphasized that Anderson’s skill in swinging the ball could be a game-changer in the format.

"Last year we had Woakesy and these guys, they bowled outstandingly well. You want that Test bowler, who can hit a length, swing the ball. If we had an injury, I would honestly have tried to call up Jimmy Anderson, because he would have been awesome. They've been swinging it every game. If we had an injury, I have been talking about it," Moeen said.

"I would've tried to get Jimmy to play. Other teams would do the same. He would be amazing in this format, the way the balls are swinging. Who is better than him, when it's swinging? We had Woody to cover him, but if one of our bowlers went down...! I'm not sure if it's still possible. On Woody, he is a great guy but his experience...you can't beat it. He brings a lot to the team," he further added.

Birmingham Phoenix has relied on a strong seam attack featuring Tim Southee, Sean Abbott, and Adam Milne. This trio has been exceptional with the new ball, with Southee ranking as the third-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, claiming 14 wickets in eight matches, including a five-wicket haul.

Phoenix has won four consecutive matches, finishing third in the league phase. They are set to face the Southern Brave in the Eliminator match at The Oval on August 17. Meanwhile, defending champions Oval Invincibles have secured a spot in the final, thanks to their superior net run rate.