Chris Jordan speaks from England's tour of South Africa

Ahead of England’s T20 series with South Africa that gets underway next week, Sussex all-rounder Chris Jordan sat down for an online press conference with members of the media. With Table Mountain and blue skies as his backdrop, here’s what CJ had to say…

On being back in the England bubble

It’s been really good being back with the group and seeing all the boys again. The vibe and the energy – everything that this team brings – is exactly how the bubble has been so far. So it’s been good to be back and can’t wait to get started.

On nailing down his spot in the team

It’s my aim, but I don’t get drawn into thinking about that too much. I try and stay in the moment as much as possible and play like its my first game every time in order to get that type of intensity and to stay on my toes. In general the squad has great depth now, the guys are getting more and more experienced. We continue to push each other, which can only be good for the team. I view it as continuing my journey and continuing to try and nail down a spot in the team.

On competition for places

That’s sport and international sport especially. It’s the reason why we feel we’re in a strong position as a team. The rivalry takes place in a good spirit. We push each other every day in training and no training session is ever about just going through the motions. The intensity is always up and we’re trying to raise the bar all the time. To have other guys waiting in the wings keeps you on our toes, but I think that’s healthy.

On England’s vaunted pace attack

T20 has been talked about as a batsman’s game from the inception, so it is nice to see a few more fast bowlers getting the recognition and staking a claim in the format.

On death bowling

I bowl in that situation a lot so I shape my mind to try and be the man in that situation, to remain as nice and calm as possible and to win the game for the team. The depth of talent and skill levels we have in the squad is so brilliant and everyone in the bowling line up can bowl at any phase of the game. That’s a strong position for Morgy [England captain, Eoin Morgan] to be in; to know that he can call on anyone at any give time.

On approaching Stuart Broad’s record for England’s leading T20 wicket-taker

Getting to that point is not something I’ve ever thought about. It’s crept up on me a little bit. On a day-to-day basis, I just give everything I can for the team and towards winning games. If wickets or runs are a part of that, then so be it. I’m always happy to contribute to the team with the bat, the ball, in the field and off the field: anyway I can to continue to allow this team to keep moving forward.

On diversity in cricket

A lot of the work will be done in private. Real change will come from conversations that you have one-on-one with people in terms of education etcetera. It’s not so much about looking back for me. You can’t change the past. All you can do is try and affect everything that’s coming in the future. It’s an area that has been highlighted and time will  tell in terms of the impact we can have as a society going forward to change the dynamics.

On playing in the IPL and other overseas T20 tournaments

I come across new players and new coaches. I’ve got pretty good at filtering information. I always try and learn something, even if I can take just one thing to add to my game, to build myself up as a player and build up my profile as well. At the IPL, I was looking at different ways to bowl at the death, bowling at different fields and adding one or two things to your arsenal. I added another slower ball to my repertoire. It’s great to play with other international stars, to keep adding things to your game and evolve as a player.

On the ICC Men's World T20 in 2021

It’s natural to get excited [about the tournament], especially off the back of everything that happened in 2019. Gearing up to a big tournament again is a process that starts with day-to-day running of the team, then one game at a time, and one series at a time. That’s a lot of what we focus on to get us to that point. It’s exciting times.