An out-and-out fast bowler is one of the great sights in cricket.Collection: Great
The time to think about personal achievement is at the end of your career.
You can get suckered into believing you have to always be attacking with the bat, ball or fielding positions. But Test cricket is not always like that. There are times when it is a bit slow paced and even a bit boring.
What I try to do is improve as much as I can so I can be the best bowler I possibly can.
Milestones have never really meant a lot. They probably will mean more when I've finished playing and actually reflect on what I have achieved.
In the heat of battle you might not be thinking clearly and that is when players have to take on the responsibility of helping the other guys out.
I'll tell you something about Glenn McGrath - he was a much better bowler than me. This is not false modesty.
Hashim Amla is someone that stands out. He's a world-class player and I have not had a huge amount of success against him.
I remember my first meeting with Alastair Cook clearly. The entire Lancashire side, some of them pretty mild-mannered, really laid into him. He'd just scored a double-hundred for Essex against Australia in a warm-up match before the 2005 Ashes. For some reason, we all assumed he must be really arrogant.
Even at the age of 36, I'm always looking at ways to improve.
I don't agree with the theory that removing grass and pace from the pitch nullifies Mitchell Johnson.
I managed just five Tests between 2004 and 2006.
Nasser Hussain was skipper when I first played for England and a massive influence. He showed me a lot of faith.
Alastair Cook is one of my best pals.
Andrew Strauss captained me through my purple patch.
Kohli is always fired up, very animated on the field and plays with passion.
It's great when you can challenge yourself against the top players in tense situations. I've always enjoyed it.
If you can dismiss the best in the world, it means you're doing something right and have the quality needed to perform at the highest level.
Cricket often leaves you scratching your head.
I didn't watch a Test match live until I played in my first in 2003.
Growing up, my education about Test cricket came from dad's video of the 1981 Ashes series - and Ian Botham's incredible match at Headingley.
Trent Bridge, 2013, is my favourite Test. An Ashes opener and England won a thriller by 14 runs. I managed to take ten wickets, which helps.
Test cricket tests your ability as a cricketer but also bring out your true character.
At that speed, batsmen are almost trying to premeditate where the ball will be - they feel like they don't have time to react or move. That's the difference between bowling in the mid-80s and the mid-90s.
There's a fiercely competitive rivalry between myself and Virat Kohli - but also enormous mutual respect.
A lot of teams see Lord's as a special place and up their games to try to get their names on the honours' board.
Having two bowlers who can exceed 90 mph is a mouth-watering prospect - and something batsmen will not relish one bit.
Part of the reason I fell in love with cricket was watching fast bowlers. They provide a sense of theatre with dramatic, ferocious spells and that applies as much in one-day cricket as in Tests.
I'm proud to have represented England in four World Cups but it was hugely frustrating that we never reached a semi-final or played to our ability.
I'm a very competitive person and maybe I'd taken things a bit too far at times.
Ben Stokes, for example, is someone who plays better when he is a bit aggressive - and that's something you don't want to take away from him.
It is easy for people to say 'Go and express yourselves' but you need the players, talent, confidence and environment to do it.
The first time Stuart Broad walked into the dressing room, with his flowing blond hair, striking blue eyes and perfect figure, I thought: 'My God, she's beautiful.'
The Oval 2018 was one of the most extraordinary Tests I've been involved with.
You so often see bowlers pick out a lovely new ball from the bag at nets and it looks great when it swings in the air and nips off the seam with batsmen playing and missing. But you have to simulate match situations. What about when the ball is 60 overs old, the sun is blazing down, the pitch is flat and there's not a hint of movement?
I've spent most of my life watching fast bowlers - initially as a kid on TV and later in the flesh when I started playing top-level cricket.
I've played in Test matches before after injury without first playing a county game or warm-up of some sort.
I first got into cricket by watching Test matches on TV and listening to overseas tours on the radio. The sport really grabbed me - and it didn't matter that England weren't hugely successful back then.
When you're a kid, you dream about playing cricket for a living, playing for your county and then your country.
A competitive edge has helped me through my career.
Lord's is such a special place and to get my first and now my 500th wickets here is something that will live with me for a long time.
As long as the body feels OK, I'm enjoying playing, helping the team improve and taking wickets, I'll keep going.
I've spoken to people who have retired once they lost the enjoyment of a long day in the field or going to the gym. If I lose that, it's time to go.
For me, what works is keeping training short but with high intensity and then recovering well. Physio, massage, icing, things like that.
I know my game really well and I'm relatively comfortable in most situations.
I very rarely get recognised in the street.
As a cricketer you can go under the radar. It's not like we're footballers who get papped everywhere. I can go down to the corner shop without getting hassled.
Being away so much makes you treasure those moments you are at home, spending time with your family.
Getting past 30 as a sportsman, the end could be just around the corner.
I'm very fortunate to have the body I have.