Anderson hits back at Langer

London, Aug 12 (IANS) England fast bowler James Anderson has hit back at Justin Langer saying that now he is a ompletely different cricketer to the one the former Test opener played in the last Ashes series in Australia.

“A lot has happened to me since the last Ashes series and I’m now a completely different cricketer to the one he faced in Australia,” Anderson was quoted as saying by the Daily Telehraph.

Langer in a leaked dossier on England’s cricketers before the start of the Ashes said that Anderson was “a bit of a pussy”. In the dossier, Langer also branded England cricketers “lazy”, “shallow” and “flat” in a secret dossier distributed to the Australian squad as the tourists trounced England by an innings at Headingley.

Responding to Langer’s comments, Anderson said: “I dare say people will wonder whether Langer’s comments will spur me on a bit more, but I can say without any hesitation that I don’t need anything more to gee me up for the last Test.”

“The only comments about me as a person and as a cricketer that I take to heart are those that come from people who know me, and I’m not bothered what Langer supposedly had to say. I gather his remarks about me were along the lines that my body language can be detrimental to the team, if the Aussies got on top of me”.

Anderson wondered how Langer could make such comments about him.

“The bottom line is that he doesn’t even know me as a person and he last played Test cricket against me more than two-and-a-half years ago,” he said.