Saturday 12 May 2007

Harmison makes himself undroppable

Steve Harmison rightly received much criticism after a dire winter in which he not only bowled poorly in the Ashes but, almost unbelievably, retired from ODIs just a few months before the World Cup. His attitude was called into question for the umpteenth time. In short, many – possibly including Duncan Fletcher – had had enough of the 28-year-old enigma, so obviously richly talented but, equally, apparently too mentally frail to perform when his side needed him most.

Yet if we criticise him when he under performs it is only right to praise him when he does deliver. He has not played for England since the humiliation of the Ashes, but has made himself undroppable with some sterling performances for Durham. Critics will sneer and point out he is only playing county cricket when there is relatively little pressure on, but he has taken 24 wickets in three Division One games, a phenomenal start. Today, in tandem with Liam Plunkett, he bowled his side to victory on a relatively docile pitch, taking 5-61 and bowling 19.3 overs out of 50.3.

It must be hoped that Peter Moores acknowledges what Duncan Fletcher failed to grasp – that Harmison, more than almost any other bowler, is a man who needs overs in the middle. Could the series against the West Indies, against whom he made his name, mark the birth of a new, more consistent Harmison?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope that Moores relaxes the restrictions on England Players playing for their country. The players (particularly the bowlers) need to be playing cricket regularly, and while I would accept that international players need to be rested occasionally, they must play more for their county.

Of course as a Durham fan, I want to see Harmison, Plunkett, Collingwood (and for the one dayers, an outside chance of Onions) representing England. It makes me proud to see players brought up through our county, playing at the highest level. But in return for supplying England, the county teams shouldn't be penalised by having their players sitting out games in the gaps between series and matches.

Tim said...

Agreed. The problem for Durham is, with three very fine seam bowlers on their books, they will find it very hard to acquire other decent seamers. When two are in action for England, their seam attack may become a bit of a weak link.

Nick Gammons said...

I've always been a huge fan of Harmison, even in his most inconsistent and frustrating form, so I'm glad to see him bowling so well. I fear the West Indies may be in for a torrid time.

You make a very good point, Tim, about Moores management of players and how much county cricket they play. Harmison needs to be handled properly as he is a great bowler on his day and he should have far more of those days for England.

Richard Lake said...

It's good to see that England's opening bowlers are two of the top three wicket takers in Division 1 (Adil Rashid being the other). Both are in form and look to have benefitted from missing the World Cup

Chrispy said...

A firing Harmison is world class and it looks as tho Moores realises that to be firing, Harmi needs overs under his belt. At last! Looks good for Rashid too as u mention him, would solve many problems for England!

Tim said...

Steady on on Rashid. He's played nine CC matches!

Nick Gammons said...

Rashid is young and inexperienced at county level, but I remember people making the same comments about Panesar. If a player is good enough I have no problem with them playing international cricket.

What is dangerous is dragging them away from county cricket to be a perpetual 12th man, sapping their confidence and their match sharpness. This is what led to Anderson suffering a severe drop in form, which he is only just pulling out of.

Chrispy said...

Ditto Chris Tremlett in 2005. Plus injuries and a lack of aggression.