Windies Really Want to Beat England, You Can See it in Their Eyes: Anderson

England's leading wicket-taker James Anderson said his team will have to be at the top of their game to challenge Windies in the forthcoming three-match Test series in the Caribbean.

"Whenever we come here, you get the feeling that West Indies really want to beat England. It's something that's been ingrained in them, especially in the past when England have suffered heavy defeats," Anderson told reporters on Sunday.

"You can see it in the players' eyes when you play against them and that means we've got to be on top form to be able to try and challenge them. We showed in Sri Lanka we can adapt to any conditions. Our batters batted better than they did and our spinners out-bowled theirs. We've got to do the same again, man for man we've got to outplay them. We know we've got the talent to do it."

Anderson took 2 for 7 in the first of the two warm-up games against Cricket West Indies President's XI and was able to extract some movement in the match.

"The Dukes ball has been moving around a bit and swung for quite a considerable amount of time throughout the game, so that's an encouragement. At least there’s a glimmer of hope for us seam bowlers. We’re hoping for a little bit – just a little bit – through the air and it keeps you interested for the game," he explained.

"It feels like you can make an impact on the game. The minute you come out here and there's that extra encouragement, it just makes you excited to bowl and look forward to playing, so hopefully, that's going to stay with us for the rest of the trip.

"For the seam bowlers, we didn't feel like we could affect the game that much (in Sri Lanka)," he told Sky Sports.

"Here, even though the wickets might be quite flat still, with the ball moving around through the air, you feel like you can affect the game a bit and that you can contribute and help the team. That's pretty much all we can do as seamers. We've talked about maybe bowling a touch fuller if it's swinging early on, even if the wicket is flat."

2019 is a huge year for England cricket who are set to host the World Cup and the all-important Ashes, but the right-arm paceman said that the team's focus is solely on winning the Test series for the second time in the Caribbean.

"I never set myself goals. I literally just try and get myself fit and prepared for the next game," said Anderson.

"I feel as though if I look too far ahead then I take my focus off what I need to be doing now. It is a huge year for us, with a World Cup and an Ashes in England, but I think that's something that we would rather focus on when that time comes rather than taking our focus off what is an important tour here."

The first Test starts on Wednesday in Barbados but Anderson feels their preparation aren't ideal.

"It's not ideal, but there's not much time to get that preparation in so we've just to make do with what we've got. Bowlers have got miles in their legs, batsmen time at the crease," he told BBC Sport.

"The nature of tours nowadays is we've only got four days of actual match practice before the first Test so we've got to try and get as much out of these days as we can, and I think we've done it. You've got to bowl with match intensity; when you're batting you've got to be switched on. You can have as many nets as you want but you can't replicate time out in the middle, no matter how forced the games are.

"In tours gone by we'd probably have two or three four-day games to prepare but that's not the case now so we've just to make do with what we've got."

Anderson also lavished praise on his long-time new-ball partner Stuart Broad, for his new bowling action.

"Since Australia, I've not seen anyone work as hard as he [Broad] has on their game," he acknowledged. "It's a credit to [Broad], he's put so many hard yards in, not just on his run-up but on his action, trying to swing the ball away again.

"For me, it's all about the last six yards, building that momentum up to the crease. He still has the same snap and can definitely have the same oomph. I do think the run-up has looked really good here. It might just get another couple of years out of him. Part of him thinks, 'Why have I not done this sooner?'"

Meanwhile, Windies pacer Kemar Roach said his team has what it takes to beat England.

“Looking ahead to the series, I’m feeling fit and ready. I’m confident I can do well and make an impact for the team,” the Barbadian said during the ongoing training camp.

“We are the underdogs, we know that. But we were underdogs back in 2017 and we played some fantastic cricket to win at Leeds and show the world we have quality. We will prepare well, we will plan well, we will look to take our chances and look to challenge and win again.”