Harmison Plagued by Injury 

England fast bowler Steve Harmison has been ruled out of the Friends Provident Trophy due to injury.  Harmison only recently returned from a hernia operation when he experienced stiffness is his lower back during the Liverpool Victory County Championshi against Surry earlier this week.

It has been a disjointed summer for Harmison, who struggled for form early on and then attempted to delay surgery on his troublesom hernia to get through the campaign against India. 

He was back on the field for Durham as captain, though, just three weeks after undergoing surgery, captaining the side against Sri Lanka in his bid to get match fit for this weekend's showpiece match.

'The severity of the injury has suprised everyone and the timing couldn't be worse,' said Harmison.  'Having played for Durham through the lean years I was looking forward to making my mark in Durham's first ever final and I'm heartbroken I won't be playing.

'However, we have a strong squad and whoever steps up to take my place will be a quality player.'

Although the extent of the injury is yet to be fully assessed by the England medical team, preliminary scans suggest that there is a muscle tear with an associated haematoma and the likelihood is that Harmison will miss most of the remainder of the domestic season.

Durham head coach Geoff Cook said, 'Everyone is devastated for Stephen.  He has worked to hard to come back from his operation and was looking forward to playing at Lord's.  This is a cruel blow for him but when one door closes another door opens and this is a real opportunity for another one of our talented squad.'