Harmison warming up in SA

Merlin wrote:I still blame Gilo for dropping Ponting, crucially, at Adelaide though.

As for Harmie - well, he just bowled tosh (bar at Perth I think) whilst his mate Freddie tidied things up at t'other end.
All this chat about being a rythym bowler ... Jeezussss ... let's just face it - when he's hot he's close (but never quite) brilliant.
But, and it's a huge BUT, sadly - he CANNOT be depended upon to do it with the necessary regularity that is demanded of a fast bowler.
Should he tour? IMO I don't think he should.
He's a lose cannon and can no longer be classed as Englands main strike bolwer after Fred.... there are three others that warrant respect more than Harmisson right now on SL wickets that won't do the guy any favours.

Whether he's close to brilliance or not, he is a rhythm bowler - there's pretty much no argument to to contrary. No he hasn't been able to be relied upon - totally agreed. Who has? Hoggard. Who else? Nah, didn't think so. Two proper crocks would've done definitely in my eyes. But where are they? 1. Laid up or 2. fighting his damned hardest to just function like a normal human being. So that argument holds as much water as a thimble. He can't be classified as f**k all, but who needs to classify him? He's a bowler with bags of natural talent, who like any of the incumbants, may or may not do well. Any FC form should whack him right in the mix.

Henry wrote:What's Harmisons average since his golden year of 2004.....About 38?
He's too much work. Maybe if he's got some overs under his belt and the stars are aligned correctly, he might produce some high quality fast bowling for a 30 minute period in a game. Im sick of this attitude where it's seen as 'crucial' that Harmison is on song for England to win test series. There are at least 5 fast bowlers in England who are better than him.
Tremlett came in and whilst he wasnt quite as quick as Harmison, he found a good length and the Indian batsmen found him awkward. But he's been dropped in the 'hope' that Harmison will magically 'click' and bowl England to victory in Sri Lanka. As if.

Not sure WTF you are to deem him 'too much work'. He's any work because it's highlighted frequently that he wasn't up to his best. The media clamour and he works more than he should do in the nets. This is a bloke who's been out of the limelight, he'll come into the SL squad through the back door. No-one knows how Moores handles him. I know it's just showboat dramatics, Trev, but whoever 'people' are saying he's 'crucial' to an England series win I don't know. But if you do want to look at the facts, discounting the Windies(who we could win against with our under-19 attack) then our only series win in post-Ashes '05 has been with Harmison in the team. Co-incidence probably but stats are that since probably 2002 we haven't won a series without him.
5 better bowlers? Please. I expect you're including Broad, who hasn't even played a Test in them? Anderson? Yeah, I've been very impressed with him. Not sure he can sustain the way he's bowled though.
The sh1tty hype that Tremlett produces is wrong. So he can bowl slowish bouncers two feet outside off stump. Big whoop. Hate to use the soundbite, but ask any batsmen in the opposition who they wouldn't like to face and they'd say Harmison.

"It was difficult, to be honest. It's the first real sort of cricket I've had since July.

"I did spray it a little bit and I'm not 'bowling fit'. But I've got six wickets and I'm happy with that."

"The wickets weren't everything to be honest. I was disappointed with the way it came out," he said.

"I bowled a lot of wides. In the last two or three years I bowled six no-balls and I bowled eight [sic] in this game, so that tells its own story.

"I'm a bit rusty and I'm not fully with it. So there were good things and bad things.

"The positives were I got 28 overs under my belt, I fielded for 102 overs in decent heat in very, very good competitive cricket and got six wickets.

"The downside was my action wasn't as good as I would like to, but we're a month away from the first Test match and there's still a lot to work on.

"I'm over the injuries and I'm fit, but the one thing I'm not is bowling fit.

"That's a big difference that any bowler who reads this will understand.

"I'm in the gym, I'm doing the sort of fitness stuff, and I've got good miles in my legs, but I'm not bowling fit and I've not got the overs under my belt and that's what I need to do.

"Hopefully these next three or four weeks will do that."

Sounds to me like he's got a firm handle on the situation and where he's at - which is a far cry from his "I've got nothing to prove" and "I'll only work if Duncan tells me I have to work" attitude of 12 months ago.

Perhaps the reality of where his hugely promising career is headed is starting to dawn on him.

If he's fit he should be in Sri Lanka, though. Broad, Tremlett, Anderson - they've all got some promise, but he's got 200+ Test wickets under his belt and has been a class act in the past, with no reason to suggest he couldn't be a class act again.

Yep, fair point.

Pity it's taken him till his test career is in danger for him to get his attitude sorted though.

Always been a big fan but at the same time no-one can excuse his last 10 tests in any way.

Look SA FC is so carp, these figures are meaningless

Harmison:

2 overs
0 maidens
6 runs
1 wicket

(2nb, 2w)

taipan wrote:Look SA FC is so carp, these figures are meaningless

We're constantly told our FC cricket is carp.... SA FC cricket can't be as carp as ours you have less teams to dilute the talent!!

3-44 for Harmy in the 2nd inns.

Plunkett bowling 4th change for an SA side as well as Durham it seems...

If SAFC is carp, how did it produce the likes of Donald, Pollock and Kallis?

If FC cricket as carp as that of South Africa can produce several Pollocks, there must be something fishy going on...

mynah wrote:If FC cricket as carp as that of South Africa can produce several Pollocks, there must be something fishy going on...

Quite.

So Taips is talking carp then

JKLever wrote:
Plunkett bowling 4th change for an SA side as well as Durham it seems...

What's happening to his career? Has Kevin Shine really destroyed him?

Didn't seem in too bad shape out in Australia - how can he have lapsed so badly inside of 10 months?

Meanwhile, Peter Moores is back working at the academy
http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/318916.html

Now I'm a bit concerned our lads at the academy are out of shape if the text under that pic is correct
'Peter Moores talks to players at the ECB academy, Loughborough, November 8, 2007'

Looking at the guy 2nd left, Goughie really is piling on the pounds these days!!

JKLever wrote:

mynah wrote:If FC cricket as carp as that of South Africa can produce several Pollocks, there must be something fishy going on...

Quite.

So Taips is talking carp then

Must be casting out some bait to try and get some nibbles.