Harmison Dispels Doubts

Yesterday in South Africa Steve Harmison produced a performance that did a lot to dispel doubts he had been harbouring about whether he is worthy of a place in the England squad for the Test trip to Sri Lanka.

Playing in South Africa to prove his fitness and form under the watchful eye of England bowling coach and Durham team-mate Ottis Gibson, Harmison ended the first innings of Highveld Lions' match with Cape Cobras in Paarl convinced he was still way short Test standard.

When he began his second innings yesterday with a 10-ball over to add to the 23 extras he had sent down at the first time of asking, Harmison’s concerns about his form from the day before resurfaced and he was preparing himself to tell England they would be better off without him.

But as he played on yesterday Harmison's mood was lifted through the clouds of self-doubt by a vastly improved display thereafter in a spell of 16 overs in which he took all three wickets in the Cobras' second innings. So much so that, sitting on overnight match figures of 9-135, he said: 'It was like chalk and cheese. Two different bowlers.

'I don't mind admitting I was very worried after my first-innings bowling.  Whatever the figures said, I wasn't fooling anyone. “Six for kicks” looks great but it wasn't very good and I felt I had a huge amount to do before I could consider playing Test cricket in the near future.

'I was very rusty. At one stage it was either a wide or a wicket. My action was all over the oche and that dented my confidence a bit.

'There was no rhythm or momentum. Not much felt right at all, in fact. Inside I knew that if my bowling didn't improve and fast I'd be struggling and there just might not be enough time to get things right. Don't get me wrong. I love playing for England and I'm desperate to do so as soon as possible. I'm the one who instigated coming out here in the first place because I wanted to give myself the best chance of being fit and ready.

'But there is no way I would jeopardise England's cause or my reputation by pleading with them to pick me if I'm not anywhere near ready to play Test cricket. My thinking was that if the bowling didn't get better I would tell them I wasn't ready.

'Then, when the first over of the second innings took 10 balls, I thought: “Here we go again”. But after that things just clicked. Thanks to the work I had done with Ottis, my wrist position was much better and the ball was coming out straight.After the way I had felt before it was a helluva relief.'

Speaking at a celebration of the Sky Sports ECB coach education programme in Loughbrough, Coach Moores said: 'It is such a short tour that we have to be absolutely on the money from day one. So if it were the case that he's not quite ready, it would be better to say: “OK, let's wait”.'

Harmison, too, is under no illusions – he knows the matter of whether he joins the squad in Sri Lanka is still far from settled.  But at least after his first-innings horrors and recovery in the second-innings Harmison now actually believes he has a real chance of being ready.