CRICKET
England's Steve Harmison is to spearhead the England one-day team's attack as they set out to win the ICC Champions Trophy in India, a tournament consisting of one-day games. England lost in the Final of the last ICC Champions Trophy against the West Indies in 2004.
Harmison casts aside one-day criticism
Last updated at 09:34am on 10th October 2006
Pace maker: England's Steve Harmison is ready to cement himself in the one-day team
Steve Harmison is ready to spearhead England's attack in the bid for ICC Champions Trophy glory -and prove he is a one-day matchwinner.
Although the Durham fast bowler's natural preference is for Test cricket, something which has led to him contemplating premature retirement from limited-overs internationals, he he is relishing the challenge.
Since making his debut in December 2002, the 27-year-old has played only 44 times in England's coloured kit, one fewer appearance than he has made at Test level.
The last of those outings was the team's humiliating showing in Leeds in midsummer when Sri Lanka ploughed to their 322-run target with an incredible 75 balls to spare.
In the process, the Durham fast bowler picked up the ignominious record of returning 10-0-97-0, England's most expensive one-day figures in history.
Nevertheless, Harmison said: "I quite like the challenge of the one-day game, it just didn't go for me in the last couple of games of the summer.
"But that happens in one-day cricket, the way the game is played, fast and furious and not much in it for the bowlers.
"I thought I bowled well enough in the first two or three one-dayers.
"Then the wheels came off at Headingley and I wasn't the only one they went for - they went for everybody. That was just one of those games.
"It came down to whether we kept bowling an experienced bowler or someone younger, so I almost made the decision for Andrew Strauss by telling him I had to bowl. That is why I bowled my 10.
"I feel as though my one-day record - even though in that Sri Lankan series I received some criticism - is quite good.
"I was still the leading wicket-taker in that series so people can say what they like."
Harmison missed the drawn series with Pakistan which concluded England's summer commitments through soft tissue damage sustained by a rib jamming against his hip.
He is yet to bowl in a match since, having been pulled out of Durham's final County Championship contest of the season as a precaution, but has been flat out in the nets without discomfort.
The increasingly heavy scheduling has taken its toll on the entire 2005 Ashes attack at some point in the past 14 months and Harmison's latest injury followed a shin problem incurred in India earlier this year, which kept him out of the limited-overs series.
"Injuries are part of sport and I didn't just miss seven one-dayers in India, I also missed three Tests at the start of the summer," Harmison said.
"As a fast bowler the prospect of three Tests against Sri Lanka in English conditions in May and June would make you clap your hands.
"I have missed more one-dayers than Test matches through injuries but in the next couple of years I might miss more Test matches than one-dayers."
Although he has previously floated the idea that the World Cup, next March and April, could be his one-day hurrah, nothing, he says, is set in stone.
"First and foremost Test matches are my priority but you never know," Harmison said. "Only when I stop enjoying things will I stop playing and at the minute things are going alright and I don't see any point in not playing.
"It has been something I have thought about and I will make the decision that is right for me."
In the meantime, England will hope he rediscovers his undoubted wicket-taking ability with the new ball as they take on India, Australia and either Sri Lanka or West Indies barring a miracle, in their bid to reach the semi-finals.
"I enjoy playing cricket and hopefully we have got five one-dayers here," he said. "The first three are going to give the chance to put a few things right."
Meanwhile, Harmison insists he has never felt in danger during his international ventures, following a weekend newspaper report which suggested terrorists were planning to target the Edgbaston Test during last summer's Ashes.
"We have obviously got a security team who look after us and I have never felt threatened one bit," said Harmison.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland added: "At no stage then or since was there any specific issue relating to the Australian or England teams raised with us."
**********************************
The ICC Champions Trophy format
A month-long celebration of one-day cricket, the fifth ICC Champions Trophy brings together the 10 Test-playing countries for the only time outside the ICC Cricket World Cup.
The tournament, which starts on Saturday 7 October, features 21 matches spread over four venues in 30 days and starts with the Preliminary Round which sees four sides – Sri Lanka , the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh – playing each other for right to progress to the next stage.
Two sides will go through to join the other six – Australia , South Africa , India , Pakistan , New Zealand and England – in the Second Round with the teams divided into two groups of four.
The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals with the final to follow at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on Sunday 5 November. The seeding for the tournament is based on sides' standing in the LG ICC ODI Championship table on 1 April 2006.
The ICC Champions Trophy started in 1998 and has taken place every two years since that date. Previously known as the ICC Knock-out on the first two occasions it was played, in Bangladesh in 1998 and Kenya in 2000, the tournament's name was changed for the 2002 event in Sri Lanka .
The ICC Champions Trophy is one of the two “majors” of international cricket and comes to India for the first time this October and November.
The West Indies are the defending champions after lifting the trophy in a pulsating final against hosts England at The Oval in September 2004. The complete list of previous winners is:
1998 – South Africa
2000 – New Zealand
2002 – Sri Lanka & India (the trophy was shared when the final was washed out by rain)
2004 – West Indies
The ICC Champions Trophy 2006 is a showpiece for the world's best teams and the world's best players and this year it has added significance as it takes place just six months before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. So, this tournament is not just a chance for those teams to lift some prestigious silverware; it is also a chance to develop plans and tactics ahead of the next year's event that takes place in the Caribbean .
The ICC Champions Trophy 2006 is a massive event for the sides taking part but it is also hugely important for all the ICC's 97 Members. In addition to the revenue it generates for the 10 Full Members through participation, it also plays a vital role in supporting the development of the game throughout the world. To illustrate this, by the end of the 2006 tournament, the tournament will have generated US$65 million for the ICC's Associate and Affiliate Members.
---------------------------
Some scores so far.
ICC Champions Trophy Third Qualifying Game, Sri Lanka Vs Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe out of the competition after defeat against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka VS Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka - 285/7
Zimbabwe - 141
Sri Lanka win by 144 runs
www.iccchampionstrophy.indya.com
England's Steve Harmison is to spearhead the England one-day team's attack as they set out to win the ICC Champions Trophy in India, a tournament consisting of one-day games. England lost in the Final of the last ICC Champions Trophy against the West Indies in 2004.
Harmison casts aside one-day criticism
Last updated at 09:34am on 10th October 2006
Pace maker: England's Steve Harmison is ready to cement himself in the one-day team
Steve Harmison is ready to spearhead England's attack in the bid for ICC Champions Trophy glory -and prove he is a one-day matchwinner.
Although the Durham fast bowler's natural preference is for Test cricket, something which has led to him contemplating premature retirement from limited-overs internationals, he he is relishing the challenge.
Since making his debut in December 2002, the 27-year-old has played only 44 times in England's coloured kit, one fewer appearance than he has made at Test level.
The last of those outings was the team's humiliating showing in Leeds in midsummer when Sri Lanka ploughed to their 322-run target with an incredible 75 balls to spare.
In the process, the Durham fast bowler picked up the ignominious record of returning 10-0-97-0, England's most expensive one-day figures in history.
Nevertheless, Harmison said: "I quite like the challenge of the one-day game, it just didn't go for me in the last couple of games of the summer.
"But that happens in one-day cricket, the way the game is played, fast and furious and not much in it for the bowlers.
"I thought I bowled well enough in the first two or three one-dayers.
"Then the wheels came off at Headingley and I wasn't the only one they went for - they went for everybody. That was just one of those games.
"It came down to whether we kept bowling an experienced bowler or someone younger, so I almost made the decision for Andrew Strauss by telling him I had to bowl. That is why I bowled my 10.
"I feel as though my one-day record - even though in that Sri Lankan series I received some criticism - is quite good.
"I was still the leading wicket-taker in that series so people can say what they like."
Harmison missed the drawn series with Pakistan which concluded England's summer commitments through soft tissue damage sustained by a rib jamming against his hip.
He is yet to bowl in a match since, having been pulled out of Durham's final County Championship contest of the season as a precaution, but has been flat out in the nets without discomfort.
The increasingly heavy scheduling has taken its toll on the entire 2005 Ashes attack at some point in the past 14 months and Harmison's latest injury followed a shin problem incurred in India earlier this year, which kept him out of the limited-overs series.
"Injuries are part of sport and I didn't just miss seven one-dayers in India, I also missed three Tests at the start of the summer," Harmison said.
"As a fast bowler the prospect of three Tests against Sri Lanka in English conditions in May and June would make you clap your hands.
"I have missed more one-dayers than Test matches through injuries but in the next couple of years I might miss more Test matches than one-dayers."
Although he has previously floated the idea that the World Cup, next March and April, could be his one-day hurrah, nothing, he says, is set in stone.
"First and foremost Test matches are my priority but you never know," Harmison said. "Only when I stop enjoying things will I stop playing and at the minute things are going alright and I don't see any point in not playing.
"It has been something I have thought about and I will make the decision that is right for me."
In the meantime, England will hope he rediscovers his undoubted wicket-taking ability with the new ball as they take on India, Australia and either Sri Lanka or West Indies barring a miracle, in their bid to reach the semi-finals.
"I enjoy playing cricket and hopefully we have got five one-dayers here," he said. "The first three are going to give the chance to put a few things right."
Meanwhile, Harmison insists he has never felt in danger during his international ventures, following a weekend newspaper report which suggested terrorists were planning to target the Edgbaston Test during last summer's Ashes.
"We have obviously got a security team who look after us and I have never felt threatened one bit," said Harmison.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland added: "At no stage then or since was there any specific issue relating to the Australian or England teams raised with us."
**********************************
The ICC Champions Trophy format
A month-long celebration of one-day cricket, the fifth ICC Champions Trophy brings together the 10 Test-playing countries for the only time outside the ICC Cricket World Cup.
The tournament, which starts on Saturday 7 October, features 21 matches spread over four venues in 30 days and starts with the Preliminary Round which sees four sides – Sri Lanka , the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh – playing each other for right to progress to the next stage.
Two sides will go through to join the other six – Australia , South Africa , India , Pakistan , New Zealand and England – in the Second Round with the teams divided into two groups of four.
The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals with the final to follow at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on Sunday 5 November. The seeding for the tournament is based on sides' standing in the LG ICC ODI Championship table on 1 April 2006.
The ICC Champions Trophy started in 1998 and has taken place every two years since that date. Previously known as the ICC Knock-out on the first two occasions it was played, in Bangladesh in 1998 and Kenya in 2000, the tournament's name was changed for the 2002 event in Sri Lanka .
The ICC Champions Trophy is one of the two “majors” of international cricket and comes to India for the first time this October and November.
The West Indies are the defending champions after lifting the trophy in a pulsating final against hosts England at The Oval in September 2004. The complete list of previous winners is:
1998 – South Africa
2000 – New Zealand
2002 – Sri Lanka & India (the trophy was shared when the final was washed out by rain)
2004 – West Indies
The ICC Champions Trophy 2006 is a showpiece for the world's best teams and the world's best players and this year it has added significance as it takes place just six months before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. So, this tournament is not just a chance for those teams to lift some prestigious silverware; it is also a chance to develop plans and tactics ahead of the next year's event that takes place in the Caribbean .
The ICC Champions Trophy 2006 is a massive event for the sides taking part but it is also hugely important for all the ICC's 97 Members. In addition to the revenue it generates for the 10 Full Members through participation, it also plays a vital role in supporting the development of the game throughout the world. To illustrate this, by the end of the 2006 tournament, the tournament will have generated US$65 million for the ICC's Associate and Affiliate Members.
---------------------------
Some scores so far.
ICC Champions Trophy Third Qualifying Game, Sri Lanka Vs Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe out of the competition after defeat against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka VS Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka - 285/7
Zimbabwe - 141
Sri Lanka win by 144 runs
www.iccchampionstrophy.indya.com