Anderson bowled over by summer to come

It's a huge summer for English cricket where does the ICC Champions Trophy sit in terms of the team's priorities?

I think the ICC Champions Trophy will be a really good benchmark of where we're at as a one-day side. An England team has never won a fifty-over competition so it's something we really want to do well in, especially looking forward to the 2015 World Cup. We have had a couple of good years in one-day cricket, and as I said it will be a good benchmark of where we're at. And playing in England as well, hopefully we can use the home conditions to our advantage.

This will be your third ICC Champions Trophy. What is your favourite or most vivid memory from playing in the tournament?

Probably my fondest memory - I wasn't actually playing in the game - but England got through to the final when it was last in England in 2004. Unfortunately we lost to the West Indies, but we got to the final and it was a really good tournament. The English public really got into it and it was something that I remember well and would quite like to re-create and obviously go one step further and win it this year.

So home advantage could be a big factor for England?

It could be a big part in us doing well in the series. We have had some good success in one-day cricket in England over the last couple of years so we can draw on those experiences and we really want to go far in the competition, and hopefully win it.

The three Champions Trophy grounds are The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff. What fond memories do you have of all three of them?

Most importantly, they are all grounds that are well-known for having a great atmosphere. Certainly Edgbaston is well-known for being the home of fancy dress in England, so I'd expect some good costumes there. But, like I say they are all good atmospheres at the grounds and hopefully everyone will get into the swing of things.

How important will the group game vs Australia or even winning the ICC Champions Trophy be in terms of preparation going into the first Investec Ashes Test match at Trent Bridge?

I'm not sure it would have much effect as long as we get through to the next stage. I don't think there are particular games that will have an effect, because if you can get through then you start again with a clean slate in the knock out stages. So every game is important, and obviously we want to win as many games as possible, so we treat them all with the same level of seriousness.

Who are the players you'll be looking to get out during the important group stages?

The majority are good players - there are so many good players around, but out of our group obviously the captain of Australia, Michael Clarke, would be a huge wicket. He's in great form at the moment, so he would be key. Also the New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum. He had a great series against us in New Zealand and he would be someone that we would be hoping to get out early.

Any tips on players to watch out for this summer?

It's hard to pick out a few stand-out players, because there are so many great players around the world. I think, possibly, someone that people might not know about, actually a couple of people that people might not know too much about, would be Faf du Plessis from South Africa. He has had a great start to his international career. He had a couple of years with Lancashire in England, so he knows the conditions and is one to look out for. Also, our very own Joe Root, again who is just starting out in his career - he's only 22. So he's got a huge career ahead of him. I think he's going to do well as well.

Who do you see as the future bowling stars of English and world cricket?

He's not that young, and he's played a few games, but I think Steven Finn is going to have a great career in all forms of cricket. He has got so many good attributes - he is tall, he is quick and he can really get under the skin of the batsman, and I think that's a great trait to have. I think he's got a huge career ahead of him.