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steve-harmison
Harmison: I want to play the Ashes again
By Will 1 month ago, 2 Comments »
OK. So, you remember the 2006-07 Ashes, right? England held the Ashes and were trooping down under to slay the Aussies. Or something like that. Steve Harmison was back. Here’s what Rob Key said just before the circus began:
“I think the best thing Steve has got going for him is they go to Brisbane for the first Test and that could be the quickest pitch in the Ashes,” said Key. “You saw this summer whenever he gets on a pitch with a bit of life on it there is not a batsman in the world who would want to face Steve Harmison.
“If he goes to Brisbane and sees what it is like, as opposed to the sub-continent or here in England sometimes, I think he will be licking his lips and be desperate to go on. He loves bowling on wickets where you can get bounce and hopefully that will kick-start him into the series.”
The idiots among us, me included, sensed this could be his moment: a pacey Brisbane surface, the brand new ball in his hands. And then he wanged down that wide, like a gold-medalist wally. Here it is, in case you’ve forgotten:
The rest of his career has been quite tortuous viewing. Last July, he inferred he’d retire after the Ashes. Then, about October time, he said he wasn’t quite ready to put on his moccasins. Now, though, he’s produced a gob-smacker: he wants to play in the Ashes later this year. YOU WHAT?
On ya, Stevey! Please, if there is a cricket-selecting god out there, make this happen. Cricket needs another Brisbane moment, and only big Stevey H – the H bomb, if you will – can come close to replicating it. Let this charade of a career continue for one more Ashes, and let us continue to mock one of English cricket’s most naturally attributed fast bowlers in a generation for a few more months.
PS: possible reason for his sudden desire to tour Australia? He’s just had a vasectomy. I’m not saying all cricketers are, well…you know. Could be why. I mean, he’s not the best tourist, is he? Anyway. You know what I mean.
2 Comments »AB fluffs his lines
By Rich Abbott last year, at the start of November, 3 Comments »
Despite all the evidence to the contrary (no yearly Test bowling average below 34 since 2004, an overall away Test bowling average in excess of 36, a Test average in South Africa of 73.22), high quality opposition players are usually the most vocal supporters of Steve Harmison at times when his selection is called into question. ‘He’s a difficult guy to face’, we are told, ‘one of the best, when he gets it right’, we hear.
I’ve often wondered how accurate those assessments are: do these players really fear post-2005 Harmison? Or are they trying to trick Geoff Miller into thinking they do?
AB de Villiers, when questioned about England’s bowlers on Cricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast this week, was all set to add his name to a list of public backers which includes Ricky Ponting. “Broad and Anderson… blah blah blah… good, young guys…” Then he paused, who else is there? Um, oh yeah, “Obviously, Harmison – he… wait, is he even in the squad?”
Clearly AB was so worried about Harmy’s threat, that he hadn’t bothered to check the England squad for his inclusion at any point over the last few weeks. There, in a sentence, was how much the world’s best batsmen actually fear England’s erstwhile paceman. Not an awful lot, anymore.
3 Comments »Harmy’s dart career
By Jonathan Calder last year, mid-October, 1 Comment »
The greatest talking point when the England touring party was named was the omission of Steve Harmison.
While he has not always been the cheeriest tourist, I shall miss watching him play darts. I remember an evening on Australia when, with consecutive throws, he hit the light shade, bent the wire on the treble 19 and winged the wife of the chairman of selectors.
Ryan Sidebottom is another keen darter. He once explained his theory to me that, as a left-handed thrower, he should aim at the treble 5, and allow the dart to drift into the treble 20 at the last minute.
He offered to demonstrate it for me. And scored 45 with three darts.
Jonathan Calder blogs at Liberal England
1 Comment »Surely this is the end for Harmison
By Will last year, mid-October, 3 Comments »
Well what an odd feeling it was reading (as opposed to doing, but I digress entirely) the England selection today. No Ravi Bopara, whose cocksure waves to the pavilion against West Indies to acknowledge his hundreds were greeted with initial surprise, followed by widespread admission that England had on their hands a great talent. His arrogance should therefore be embraced. We did, but he regressed without so much as a whimper.
And no Steve Harmison, presumably for the last time. He himself gave England a ridiculous ultimatum at the end of the Ashes that he didn’t want to be a part-time England player. Right – so, that’s full-time then Steve, except you don’t tour very well, you’re as consistent as a bowl of porridge with a sausage stuck in it, and you retired yourself from ODIs. And then you unretired. For his and his family’s sake, if not the media’s – it’s incredibly frustrating writing about players whose belief in their ability is so at odds with their results – let this be the last time we speak of Harmison in an England shirt.
His replacement is hardly a shining example of consistency himself, but at least he has youth on his side. For now. Liam Plunkett has had a fairly decent season, but more a surprise – and a pleasant one too – is the name Luke Wright. He’s quick with the ball and potentially a powerful hitter, with plenty of bottom-hand, and undeniably quick in the field, but Tests will stretch him to the absolute limit. I’ve always thought he has a bit of ticker about him, but his technique could be cruelly exposed by South Africa’s seamers.
England weren’t finished there with the giggles. Saj Mahmood – ha! – and Alastair Cook – honk! – were called up to the ODI side. In fairness, as much as it genuinely pains me to say, Cook went bonkers a couple of times this season for Essex in domestic ODIs. But, still, you can’t help feeling he might not fare quite as well against a side of South Africa’s quality. I hope he does. As for Mahmood, well, who honestly knows where the ball’s going to go, but at least we can enjoy his befuddled facial expressions as a result.
3 Comments »Flintoff unlikely to play at Headingley
By Will last year, at the start of August, 1 Comment »
Not looking good. Straight shoot-out between Sidebottom and Harmison – my money’s on the former. Meanwhile – will Stuart Clark and Brett Lee come back? Lee’s impressed in the nets; will he be thrown into the deep?
1 Comment »No Vaughan, no Harmy, but Monty makes it
By Will last year, at the end of June, 5 Comments »
All rather predictable, I felt – England’s squad announcement, that is. But one man’s name did surprise me: Monty Panesar. He’s been flayed all around Division 2 of the Championship like a particularly forlorn-looking rag doll, and with his batting as sadly inept as it is, will England really risk him at Cardiff? Given Adil Rashid’s impressive pluck shown in the World Twenty20, he could well get a game alongside Graeme Swann for the first Test. Though as a colleague said today, plonking such a young bloke in to make his debut against the Aussies is a quickfire way to kill his confidence and ruin him for years. It’ll make or break him, but I’d rather see his name than Monty and his 70mph rockets, and hapless fielding, and putting it in the right (or wrong) areas (singular – there is only one area)… etc.
Ian Bell, meanwhile, has been told to grow up with his elevation to captaincy of the England Lions – a good decision. It’ll be absolutely fascinating to see how he reacts to it, how he manages the likes of Harmison (selected for the Lions, but not for the main pre-Ashes squad).
Your thoughts?
5 Comments »Harmison delivers Ashes message
By Will last year, mid-June, 4 Comments »
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.
4 Comments »Flintoff proves his bowling worth
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-April, 1 Comment »
Just how good is Andrew Flintoff ? At 140-6, needing 33 runs to win off just 16 balls, the West Indies were knocking down the door at England. Denesh Ramdin was thick edging for four, there were singles everywhere and the game looked to be headed right down to the thinnest of wires. Step forward, Freddie. Probably one of the best death bowlers in the world right now, Flintoff fired out Ramdin with a fast leg stump yorker. That alone may have ended the host’s pursuit but it wasn’t enough for Flintoff. He then trapped LBW new man Ravi Rampaul with a quick, full delivery before achieving both his hat-trick and a five-wicket haul with another yorker to Sulieman Benn.
Flintoff, tired, battle hardened and at the end of a long, long tour, had won the game and, more importantly, the series for England in the space of three balls. His nonchalant celebration upon bowling Benn did a fine job of hiding the jubilation he was likely feeling inside. Injuries and defeat had ravaged Flintoff’s tour to the point where Kevin Pietersen was probably not alone in wanting to head home as soon as possible. His batting has come in for more criticism after, one innings aside, a painfully lean period. But his bowling is an impossibly vital component in England’s one day planning. He is frighteningly accurate, has the ability to mix up his pace to confuse the batsman and take crucial wickets when needed. The man really is worth his weight in gold.
He becomes the third Englishman to take a hat trick in one day cricket. The other two? You’d hardly believe it. James Anderson and Steve Harmison. The next time England are getting carted to all corners of the ground in a one day match, will you honestly believe that three of the bowlers on display have one day hat tricks to their names?
1 Comment »Khan to the rescue?
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-March, 4 Comments »
The start made to Test cricket yesterday by England’s most recent pace bowling attempt Amjad Khan will have provided fans with a touch of consternation. Five no-balls, including three in his opening over, indicated a nervous start and Khan conceded 27 off his four overs in the fading Trinidad light. It was almost as if the man he has edged ahead of, Steve Harmison, had given Khan that same advice that Harmison himself was given on that fateful Brisbane morning in 2006.
What a relief, then, for England fans the next morning. Soon after Stuart Broad had removed night-watchman Daren Powell for a duck, Khan was brought on and picked up the prized wicket of West Indian run machine Ramnaresh Sarwan, bowling fast, full and, most importantly, straight. Not only were the nerves of yesterday evening gone, he had also removed Sarwan, a man who has not just been a thorn in England’s side but rather sticking right the way through them as he plundered run after run after run.
Khan’s spell this morning had all the verve and potential that England have desperately needed this series. The pitches have been slow, about as slow as a Brendan Nash over, and wickets have been hard to come by. Now I don’t assume at all that Khan is the sole answer to England winning this Test but his style of bowling is probably just what they need on these types of surfaces. There is also the possibility of reverse swing, which will have bowling experts licking their lips. Reverse swing – that key component that England have sought after ever since Simon Jones brutally harassed the Australians in 2005. Khan has also slipped in a few excellent short balls; fast, well directed and with just about enough controlled aggression to trouble the West Indians.
It’s still early on this third day but the wicket of Sarwan will have boosted England and they will be growing ever so slightly in confidence as a result. A long way to go still, but Khan may be on the correct path to helping bring England level in this series.
4 Comments »England’s bowling attack
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-February, 3 Comments »
Is it just me or do England have a seriously good looking attack on display in the current Test match? Speed-wise, even the most skeptical of cricket fans would have to admit it’s impressive. Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson and, to a slightly lesser extent, Stuart Broad are all genuinely capable of the odd delivery in excess of 90 mph and they give the captain a wealth of options.
Harmison is painfully erratic and may well be a spent force but he is still capable of rattling his opponents, even if his days are becoming increasingly numbered. Flintoff is as reliable and dangerous as ever and Broad is a developing into a threatening force, fresh from his maiden five wicket haul in Jamaica last week. Jimmy Anderson, like Harmison, can be inconsistent but his pace is an asset and he can be a genuine strike bowler, especially when the ball is swinging (anyone remember 7-43 against New Zealand in Nottingham?).
But the decision to replace Monty Panesar with Graeme Swann could also be the most important one. Panesar’s recent struggles are heavily documented and he was out-bowled by Swann during England’s toiling in India. Swann’s ability with the willow also means England can potentially bat down to 9, so if he can turn it on with the ball in the way that Panesar hasn’t been able to for a while, then England will surely be forced to give him a run in the side.
Far be it from me to play the role of England selector, but the current bowling attack would probably be my first choice to play when the Aussies come to town in July. I would allow a bit of room for change over the spinner, as Panesar, for all his troubles, is capable of being dangerous but if you pinned me down and asked me for a set of names, then I’d be happy to give you this lot. It’s harsh on Ryan Sidebottom but he’d always be in contention to play, dependant on the conditions. The same goes for Simon Jones, although he may or may not ever be fit again.
Thoughts - would anyone rather see Monty back? Is there still life in Harmison? Answers on a postcard please.
3 Comments »Bouncebackability
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-February, 1 Comment »
It was football manager Iain Dowie who first coined this term, way back when his Crystal Palace side were struggling in the English Premier League. The phrase refers to a teams ability to bounce back from a defeat or any kind of adversity. Well, this England cricket side have suffered said adversity and then some. How do they respond to the humiliation of last week’s 51 all out?
The expected change has come. Owais Shah replaces Ian Bell at number three in the order and Steve Harmison has also been left out, in favour of James Anderson. Will it make the difference that England need? Shah’s inclusion has been long championed by England fans and pundits alike. It is perhaps a tad harsh on Harmison who didn’t bowl terribly badly in Jamaica but perhaps the feeling was that a change was needed.
The outfield is a concern in Antigua. Heavy rainfall has left area’s of the ground covered in sand and the bowlers run up, in particular, is an point of worry. However, England shouldn’t use the conditions as an excuse. They have a lot of making up to do and they had better start it soon. Alistair Cook could do with a big score to settle the doubters about him and if Kevin Pietersen should find himself in the late 90’s again, surely he will be looking for singles this time.
All in all, it looks like a fascinating Test. A nerve-wracking one too, if you’re an England follower.
1 Comment »Who should England drop? You decide
By Will last year, mid-February, 12 Comments »
Given England’s current debacle, it’s high-time we all did what England fans love to do: pretend we’re the selectors. It’s all very well everyone moaning about how dire the situation is when we all know how gleeful we really are. Britons can’t cope with success; we do, however, do a great line in depression and cynicism. This is our time. Stand tall, England fans, and show the world how we thrive in this meadow of misery.
I’ve chosen Cook, Bell, Harmison and Collingwood as the four candidates in the firing line, and you can choose a maximum of two to be dropped. So, vote in the poll and leave a comment with your reasoning.
12 Comments »‘He’s in a good place’ – oh toss off
By Will 2 years ago, mid-November, 5 Comments »
Right. I need some help. Over the past 12 months or so, the phrase “he’s in a good place” has sprung up like a particularly virilent form of hospital super bug and it’s resisting every fathomable disinfectment. It’s everywhere. Steve Harmison has been described as “in a good place” ever since he returned to the England side, and now Andrew Symonds has also joined him in this happy sphere of goodness. Form counts for nothing these days, despite what Peter Moores bangs on about (“yeah. He’s looking a million dollars in the nets”). It’s all about how happy they are; whether they’re in their special, good place.
Where is it, and how do you gain entry? Answers on a postcard, or ideally in the comments below.
5 Comments »KP’s diary: Harmy avoids need to go toilet
By Will 2 years ago, mid-November, 4 Comments »
Alan Tyers (or Alany as he prefers to be known) has hacked into Kevin Pietersen’s inbox and found his diary. What secrets does he have for us?
4 Comments »Some of the boys went to the market to see if they could pick up any local handicrafts (DVDs, knock-off iPods, etc). Harmison said he didn’t want to go because it might be dangerous, or noisy, or even both, and also what if he needed to do toilet? But Flintoff said he was going and Harmison then said: “I love markets, they’re great.”
So I told Flintoff and Harmison not to get up to any mischief and sent Sidebottom along with them. I try and pair up the sensible ones with the not so reliable lads in a sort of mentoring programme. Cook has done wonders with Belly, for instance. Belly now gets his own cereal in the morning and eats it quietly even if the little plastic toy has already been taken by someone else. We’re growing together as a group.
Our Steve’s diaries, like
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of November, No Comments; be the first!
Alan Tyers’ has spoken to Steve Harmison for his insider-diary series (last week it was Ian Bell):
No Comments » « Previous EntriesSure, all of us want to be a millionaire but not at all costs. We make sacrifices, I accept that: for instance, I’m willing to play cricket. And if absolutely necessary, abroad. But seeing your lass used as a plaything for a billionaire?
