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Loading ...Unfortunately Harmy is a bit like me – pretty good when nobody is watching and overwhelmed to the point of playing like a drain when the crowds and the cameras turn up. We have a friend called Mark in Surrey who is still brilliant but ran out of chances for the same reason. Harmy could relax and gain the respect that Mark and I have in recent years if he could admit to sharing our phobia of the bright lights and just spend the rest of his career terrorising lesser mortals around the shires. Until then, our torment (and his) will not go away.
Harmison delivers Ashes message
By Will last year, mid-June Add your comment below
It may be a trend, Steve Harmison starting the season well for Durham to yet again persuade England’s selectors that he should be picked. It’s a depressing one though, isn’t it, when his domestic performances are laced with evidence of extreme talent which has only emerged occasionally in internationals, interspersed with nervous and occasionally appauling efforts for England. When he came back last summer, he looked energised and refreshed, and sporadically deadly, but will England risk him for the Ashes again?
George Dobell spoke to the man after a devastating performance against Warwickshire, against whom he took 5 for 39. And smashed several players on the head, arm and other limbs:
Nor was the damage just on the scorecard. Harmison also landed three crashing blows on the head, hand and arm of Tony Frost, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes respectively. It was, one lot of five wides apart, a top-quality spell of fast bowling that will not so much nudge the England selectors as grab them by the shoulders and shake them.
“It’s the worst thing in the world when you hit somebody,” Harmison said afterwards. “I really don’t like it at all. I **** myself when I hit Tony Frost. I was upset by that. And the same when I hurt Ian Bell.
“But on flat, slow wickets, you have to do something different and my variation is being aggressive and bowling bouncers.
“There’s not been a result here in 20 championship games and you can see why. There’s not much pace in the pitch, but it does have good carry. You have to have something different if you’re going to win here. If we can make them follow-on we can put some nervous twitches inside the Warwickshire dressing room.
“I showed my experience today. In the last two weeks I haven’t had to exert myself because of the wickets we’ve been playing on. I’ve had rewards in all three games, but this one is the most pleasing because it is a flat wicket. I had to exert myself a lot more today.
“And I came up against good players. Belly is a really good player. For him not to be in the Test team is something I struggle to comprehend. And the way Frost carried on after being hit on the head was credit to him.”
One thing is for certain: the selection for the England Lions match will be crucial and fascinating.
Tags: ashes, steve-harmison, the-ashes |
4 Responses to “Harmison delivers Ashes message”
June 19th, 2009 at 4.35 pm
June 19th, 2009 at 7.28 pm
I’d be happy to see him come into the side if he’s on top form – a firing Harmy at the Oval could win us the series…
June 19th, 2009 at 10.10 pm
harmison is star and could be playing a major role for england winning the ASHES.
June 20th, 2009 at 1.37 am
I hate to say this, but never pick him again. You know that he’ll just put in a rubbish performance when England needs him, so you may as well save yourselves a lot of heartache and stick with Onions, who’s made a good start and has incidentally topped Harmy with a cheap 7-fer.
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