Steve Harmison
Encyclopedia
Stephen James Harmison MBE
(born 23 October 1978) is an English
cricket
er. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests
, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20
's. He also plays county cricket
for Durham
.
He made his Test and ODI debut for England in 2002, and achieved modest success in these early stages of his career, showing promise as a capable strike bowler for England. This was borne out during the tour of the West Indies in 2003–04, where he produced some of his finest bowling and went on to become the highest wicker-taker in the series. He followed it up by playing a vital role in England's victory in the 2005 Ashes series, and was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 2005. At the time, he was regarded as one of the world's best fast bowlers.
Harmison's performance following the 2005 Ashes victory was inconsistent, and he announced his retirement from ODI's in 2006. His problems were compounded by niggling fitness worries and intense competition for a place in the English team. Although he came out of ODI retirement in 2008, his place in the squad was never permanent, ultimately leading to his being dropped since 2009. His last Test for England was the final test of the 2009 Ashes series
, and he played his last ODI against West Indies
in the same year. Although he has not announced formal retirement from the game, it is generally believed that he is unlikely to make a comeback to the national team again.
Harmison's success during his prime was attributed to his ability to extract bounce from any pitch
- mainly due to his height being 6'4" - and his ability to swing the ball while maintaining speeds of over 90 mph. However, his lack of consistency often led to lethal spells being mixed up with equally bad bowling (a notable example is the opening ball of the 2006 Ashes, which he bowled straight to second slip
, resulting in a wide that media commentators dubbed as "the worst ball in history".). Nevertheless, his ability with the ball was never questioned; in 2007, former Australian cricketer Shane Warne
named Harmison in his list of 50 greatest cricketers, stating: "on his day, he is one of the most awkward bowlers [to face] in the world".
, Northumberland
, and is the eldest of 3 brothers (the youngest, Ben Harmison
, currently plays first class cricket for Durham.) As a teenager, Harmison played for his local football
team, Ashington A.F.C.
, before deciding to concentrate on cricket.
touring team that also contained Andrew Strauss
, Ian Bell and Robert Key
, Harmison showed clear signs of his ability in the tour of Australia in 2001–02. In August 2002, Harmison made his Test match debut at Trent Bridge against India, replacing the injured Simon Jones.
Originally lacking somewhat in control, he bowled seven consecutive wides in the first match of the tour of Australia, against the ACB Chairman's XI's at Lilac Hill in 2002. However, promising performances later in the tour saw him named in the World Cup squad, although he did not take to the field in any of the matches. He was then awarded with a six month central contract by the ECB, but this was not renewed in September 2003.
Despite media complaints about his ability, he was named in the England squad for the winter tour to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, partially due to injuries to other players. Harmison gave a man-of-the-match performance in the opening Test against Bangladesh
, taking 9 wickets for 79 on a slow wicket, before succumbing to a back injury and missing the matches against Sri Lanka
. Despite the injury, he'd done enough to be selected for the winter tour to the West Indies, and it was there he sealed his arrival, taking 7 wickets at the cost of just 12 runs as the West Indies
collapsed to their lowest ever Test total of 47 all out. Harmison went on to win the Man-of-the-Series award after taking 23 wickets in the four Tests.
earlier in 2004, would again be England's lead bowler, and the West Indies captain Brian Lara
went as far as suggesting that England had no plan B after Harmison. However, Harmison was outshone by spin bowler
Ashley Giles
for the first three Tests, before he took 9 wickets in the final Test match. In that final match, he also punished the West Indies bowling with the bat, hitting three sixes and three fours in a brief innings ending at 34 not out. Harmison's bowling performance in this match took him to the top of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Cricket Ratings. In 2004, Harmison took 67 wickets in just 13 matches, at a superb average of 23.92.
Harmison disappointed with the ball on the 2004–05 England tour of South Africa
, taking just 9 wickets in the Test series at the extremely high average of 73.22. During this series, he spoke frankly about his homesickness on foreign tours. However, his solid performances with the bat, including an innings high score of 42 in the 3rd Test, led some commentators to note, not altogether jokingly, that he was now making a case to be considered a tail all-rounder. Despite these disappointments, he was still named as one of five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack in 2005.
's face with a short ball and took five wickets, including that of Ponting. Although later outshone by Flintoff
and Jones
, he exerted pressure and claimed important wickets throughout. His most important and dazzling wicket, some might say, was the slower-ball yorker with which he bowled Michael Clarke
. As the commentator Mark Nicholas said, 'Stephen Harmison, with a slower ball, one of the great balls. Given the moment, given the batsman, and given the match, that is a staggering gamble that has paid off...' Harmison also took the final wicket of Michael Kasprowicz
the next day, caught behind by Geraint Jones for England to win by the wafer thin margin of only two runs. England had been massive favourites overnight, but Australia, needing over a hundred to win with only two wickets left had almost pulled a victory from the very jaws of defeat thanks to the tail end efforts of Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Kasprowicz until Harmison struck.
In July 2006, during the series against Pakistan
, Harmison took 6/19 off just 13 overs in the first innings as Pakistan were skittled for just 119. In the second he again shared the 10 wickets with Monty Panesar
, taking 5/57. He thus took his first 10 wicket haul in a match, taking 11/76. This came in his 45th Test match, and was the best match bowling figures at Old Trafford since Jim Laker's
19/90, exactly 50 years previously.
During the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy
Harmison's form came under scrutiny, and he was dropped from England's final match against the West Indies. In November 2006, Harmison bowled the first ball of the eagerly awaited 2006-07 Ashes series
at The Gabba in Brisbane
, but erred by bowling a wide straight to Andrew Flintoff at second slip. After another below par performance in Adelaide he would find some form in Perth with 4/48 in the 1st innings.
, Harmison announced his retirement from One Day International cricket
after being left out of the squad for the one-day series in Australia
. In October 2007, Harmison travelled to South Africa to play domestic cricket before heading to Sri Lanka
as part of the England Test squad. After a shaky start, however, he suffered a back injury on the first day of the second warm up match, having taken one wicket. He was not included in the squad for the first test, however he took three wickets in the second. On 21 August 2008, it was announced that Harmison would return to playing One Day International cricket against South Africa.
out trying to reach 50. After the Test series on the 21st of August, Harmison came out of ODI retirement after being persuaded by the new England captain, Kevin Pietersen
. On his ODI return versus South Africa on 22 August, he took two wickets for 43 runs, this was crucial in England winning the match.
On 7 August 2009, exactly one year after his previous return, Harmison was selected to play in the 4th Ashes Test at Headingley, replacing the injured Andrew Flintoff
. In this Test, he equalled Michael Atherton's record for the most Test ducks scored by an Englishman (20), caught behind off Peter Siddle
as England collapsed to 102 all out against Australia's seam bowling
attack. Whereas Atherton had played 115 tests, Harmison achieved the feat in his 62nd test. He also took the wicket of Simon Katich
caught in the gully for a duck in the second over of Australia's innings. He had bowled well to a supportive audience, and should have had Michael Clarke
late on in the first day but the appeal was turned down. He went on to take the wicket of Australian keeper Brad Haddin. In his second innings Harmison made 19 no out off 28 balls but could not prevent the Australians from totalling 445 and proceeding to an innings victory. Harmison went on to play in the 5th Test at the Oval
; on the final day of the series, Harmison claimed the three penultimate wickets to fall, including those of Peter Siddle
and Stuart Clark
with consecutive deliveries, both caught after attempting to play to the leg side, to create a unique opportunity to win the Ashes with a hat-trick (Ben Hilfenhaus
successfully blocked the hat-trick ball). England won by 197 runs to take the series 2–1.
in 2005, he stated:
He still remains a huge fan of football, and is a life long supporter of Newcastle United F.C.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 23 October 1978) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
's. He also plays county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
for Durham
Durham County Cricket Club
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was...
.
He made his Test and ODI debut for England in 2002, and achieved modest success in these early stages of his career, showing promise as a capable strike bowler for England. This was borne out during the tour of the West Indies in 2003–04, where he produced some of his finest bowling and went on to become the highest wicker-taker in the series. He followed it up by playing a vital role in England's victory in the 2005 Ashes series, and was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 2005. At the time, he was regarded as one of the world's best fast bowlers.
Harmison's performance following the 2005 Ashes victory was inconsistent, and he announced his retirement from ODI's in 2006. His problems were compounded by niggling fitness worries and intense competition for a place in the English team. Although he came out of ODI retirement in 2008, his place in the squad was never permanent, ultimately leading to his being dropped since 2009. His last Test for England was the final test of the 2009 Ashes series
2009 Ashes series
The 2009 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia, and was part of the Australian cricket tour of England in 2009. Starting on 8 July 2009, England and Australia played five Tests, with England winning the series 2–1...
, and he played his last ODI against West Indies
English cricket team in West Indies in 2008–09
The English cricket team toured the West Indies from 25 January 2009 until 3 April 2009. Initially, it was intended that they play four Test matches, one Twenty20 International and five One Day Internationals against the West Indies cricket team...
in the same year. Although he has not announced formal retirement from the game, it is generally believed that he is unlikely to make a comeback to the national team again.
Harmison's success during his prime was attributed to his ability to extract bounce from any pitch
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
- mainly due to his height being 6'4" - and his ability to swing the ball while maintaining speeds of over 90 mph. However, his lack of consistency often led to lethal spells being mixed up with equally bad bowling (a notable example is the opening ball of the 2006 Ashes, which he bowled straight to second slip
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
, resulting in a wide that media commentators dubbed as "the worst ball in history".). Nevertheless, his ability with the ball was never questioned; in 2007, former Australian cricketer Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
named Harmison in his list of 50 greatest cricketers, stating: "on his day, he is one of the most awkward bowlers [to face] in the world".
Early life
Harmison was born and brought up in AshingtonAshington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, and is the eldest of 3 brothers (the youngest, Ben Harmison
Ben Harmison
Ben William Harmison is an English cricketer who plays first-class cricket for Durham. The former England Under-19 left-handed batsman scored a century on his first-class debut in 2006. He finished the season with 563 runs at an average of 37.53 with 2 hundreds, though both hundreds came in games...
, currently plays first class cricket for Durham.) As a teenager, Harmison played for his local football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Ashington A.F.C.
Ashington A.F.C.
Ashington A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Ashington, Northumberland, currently playing in the Northern League Division One. The team, nicknamed "The Colliers", play their home matches at Woodhorn Lane....
, before deciding to concentrate on cricket.
Initial selection
Steve Harmison was first selected for an England squad in May 2000 during the tour to England by Zimbabwe, but did not play. As part of an ECB National AcademyECB National Academy
The National Cricket Performance Centre first came into existence in the winter of 2001-2002 and has been based at Loughborough University since 2003. In 2007 following the "Schofield Report" the National Academy was renamed The National Cricket Performance Centre. It consists of a state of the art...
touring team that also contained Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
, Ian Bell and Robert Key
Robert Key (cricketer)
Robert William Trevor Key is an English cricketer. He is the captain of Kent County Cricket Club, and a former member of the England Test match and One Day International sides....
, Harmison showed clear signs of his ability in the tour of Australia in 2001–02. In August 2002, Harmison made his Test match debut at Trent Bridge against India, replacing the injured Simon Jones.
Originally lacking somewhat in control, he bowled seven consecutive wides in the first match of the tour of Australia, against the ACB Chairman's XI's at Lilac Hill in 2002. However, promising performances later in the tour saw him named in the World Cup squad, although he did not take to the field in any of the matches. He was then awarded with a six month central contract by the ECB, but this was not renewed in September 2003.
Despite media complaints about his ability, he was named in the England squad for the winter tour to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, partially due to injuries to other players. Harmison gave a man-of-the-match performance in the opening Test against Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cricket team
The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
, taking 9 wickets for 79 on a slow wicket, before succumbing to a back injury and missing the matches against Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
. Despite the injury, he'd done enough to be selected for the winter tour to the West Indies, and it was there he sealed his arrival, taking 7 wickets at the cost of just 12 runs as the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
collapsed to their lowest ever Test total of 47 all out. Harmison went on to win the Man-of-the-Series award after taking 23 wickets in the four Tests.
West Indies in 2004
With the West Indies touring England in 2004, it was expected that Harmison, who had also shone in the three-match Test series against New ZealandNew Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
earlier in 2004, would again be England's lead bowler, and the West Indies captain Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
went as far as suggesting that England had no plan B after Harmison. However, Harmison was outshone by spin bowler
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
for the first three Tests, before he took 9 wickets in the final Test match. In that final match, he also punished the West Indies bowling with the bat, hitting three sixes and three fours in a brief innings ending at 34 not out. Harmison's bowling performance in this match took him to the top of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Cricket Ratings. In 2004, Harmison took 67 wickets in just 13 matches, at a superb average of 23.92.
Harmison disappointed with the ball on the 2004–05 England tour of South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
, taking just 9 wickets in the Test series at the extremely high average of 73.22. During this series, he spoke frankly about his homesickness on foreign tours. However, his solid performances with the bat, including an innings high score of 42 in the 3rd Test, led some commentators to note, not altogether jokingly, that he was now making a case to be considered a tail all-rounder. Despite these disappointments, he was still named as one of five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack in 2005.
Ashes Tests
In summer 2005 Harmison was part of the England team that regained The Ashes from Australia. He started the series well, with a hostile opening spell on the first day of the 1st Test in which he cut Ricky PontingRicky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
's face with a short ball and took five wickets, including that of Ponting. Although later outshone by Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
and Jones
Simon Jones (cricketer)
Simon Philip Jones MBE is a Welsh cricketer, who played internationally for England. Formerly playing his county cricket for Glamorgan County Cricket Club and then Worcestershire before moving in September 2009 to Hampshire. He is currently on a month's loan with his first county, Glamorgan...
, he exerted pressure and claimed important wickets throughout. His most important and dazzling wicket, some might say, was the slower-ball yorker with which he bowled Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (cricketer)
Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
. As the commentator Mark Nicholas said, 'Stephen Harmison, with a slower ball, one of the great balls. Given the moment, given the batsman, and given the match, that is a staggering gamble that has paid off...' Harmison also took the final wicket of Michael Kasprowicz
Michael Kasprowicz
Michael Scott Kasprowicz is a former Australian Test cricketer. He is a right arm fast bowler, effective outfielder and useful lower order batsman, and has enjoyed a successful career both in Australia and in the English county scene since making his debut for Queensland as a seventeen year old in...
the next day, caught behind by Geraint Jones for England to win by the wafer thin margin of only two runs. England had been massive favourites overnight, but Australia, needing over a hundred to win with only two wickets left had almost pulled a victory from the very jaws of defeat thanks to the tail end efforts of Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Kasprowicz until Harmison struck.
In July 2006, during the series against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, Harmison took 6/19 off just 13 overs in the first innings as Pakistan were skittled for just 119. In the second he again shared the 10 wickets with Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, known as Monty Panesar , is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex. A left-arm spinner, Panesar played Test and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire until 2009...
, taking 5/57. He thus took his first 10 wicket haul in a match, taking 11/76. This came in his 45th Test match, and was the best match bowling figures at Old Trafford since Jim Laker's
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
19/90, exactly 50 years previously.
During the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy
2006 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in India from 7 October to 5 November 2006. It was the fifth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy...
Harmison's form came under scrutiny, and he was dropped from England's final match against the West Indies. In November 2006, Harmison bowled the first ball of the eagerly awaited 2006-07 Ashes series
2006-07 Ashes series
The 2006–07 cricket series between Australia and England for the Ashes was played in Australia from 23 November 2006 to 5 January 2007. Australia won the series and regained the Ashes that had been lost to England in the 2005 Ashes series...
at The Gabba in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, but erred by bowling a wide straight to Andrew Flintoff at second slip. After another below par performance in Adelaide he would find some form in Perth with 4/48 in the 1st innings.
ODI retirement and Sri Lanka
On 21 December 2006, three months before the 2007 Cricket World Cup2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, Harmison announced his retirement from One Day International cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
after being left out of the squad for the one-day series in Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. In October 2007, Harmison travelled to South Africa to play domestic cricket before heading to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
as part of the England Test squad. After a shaky start, however, he suffered a back injury on the first day of the second warm up match, having taken one wicket. He was not included in the squad for the first test, however he took three wickets in the second. On 21 August 2008, it was announced that Harmison would return to playing One Day International cricket against South Africa.
Return to England colours
On 7 August 2008 Harmison returned to the England Test team for the Fourth Test match versus South Africa. He took two wickets for 49 runs in helping England to dismiss South Africa for 194 on the first day of the match. Harmison's first ball (the first ball of the match) nearly took a wicket (see picture). In England's first innings Harmison hit a career high Test match score of 49 not out (59 balls,8 fours). He ran fellow teammate Monty PanesarMonty Panesar
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, known as Monty Panesar , is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex. A left-arm spinner, Panesar played Test and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire until 2009...
out trying to reach 50. After the Test series on the 21st of August, Harmison came out of ODI retirement after being persuaded by the new England captain, Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
. On his ODI return versus South Africa on 22 August, he took two wickets for 43 runs, this was crucial in England winning the match.
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
. In this Test, he equalled Michael Atherton's record for the most Test ducks scored by an Englishman (20), caught behind off Peter Siddle
Peter Siddle
Peter Matthew Siddle is an Australian Test cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Victoria and the Australia national cricket team.-Early life and career:...
as England collapsed to 102 all out against Australia's seam bowling
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
attack. Whereas Atherton had played 115 tests, Harmison achieved the feat in his 62nd test. He also took the wicket of Simon Katich
Simon Katich
Simon Matthew Katich is an Australian cricketer. He is the captain of the New South Wales Blues, and also captained, up until the end of the 2007 season, Derbyshire County Cricket Club...
caught in the gully for a duck in the second over of Australia's innings. He had bowled well to a supportive audience, and should have had Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (cricketer)
Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
late on in the first day but the appeal was turned down. He went on to take the wicket of Australian keeper Brad Haddin. In his second innings Harmison made 19 no out off 28 balls but could not prevent the Australians from totalling 445 and proceeding to an innings victory. Harmison went on to play in the 5th Test at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
; on the final day of the series, Harmison claimed the three penultimate wickets to fall, including those of Peter Siddle
Peter Siddle
Peter Matthew Siddle is an Australian Test cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Victoria and the Australia national cricket team.-Early life and career:...
and Stuart Clark
Stuart Clark
Stuart Rupert Clark is an Australian International cricketer who plays domestic cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler...
with consecutive deliveries, both caught after attempting to play to the leg side, to create a unique opportunity to win the Ashes with a hat-trick (Ben Hilfenhaus
Ben Hilfenhaus
Benjamin William Hilfenhaus is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket. Hilfenhaus plays club cricket for Tasmania University Cricket Club. Prior to turning fully professional, he worked as a bricklayer as well as playing cricket...
successfully blocked the hat-trick ball). England won by 197 runs to take the series 2–1.
Personal life
Harmison currently lives in Ashington with his wife Hayley and their three daughters Alice, Abbie and Isabel, and their son, Charlie. A family man by nature, Harmison admitted to homesickness and missing his family each time the England team went on tour; in an interview with the The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
in 2005, he stated:
"I have a family. I have kids that need me around and they will dictate the decisions I make on my career....My international career will finish when my family needs me to be around a bit more."
He still remains a huge fan of football, and is a life long supporter of Newcastle United F.C.