da realsbet： For the second innings running, Steve Harmison was the pick of a committed England attack
Andrew Miller at Galle18-Dec-2007
Steve Harmison emerged with honours from a draining day of cricket © Getty Images
Steve Harmison was knackered but content at the close of a drainingfirst day at Galle. Although play was restricted to a mere 55 overs,the heat and humidity were as oppressive as he has ever known in his56-Test career. It was not a day for the faint-hearted – which, in thenot-so-distant past, might have included Harmison himself. And yet,for the second innings running, he was the pick of a committed Englandattack. It’s been quite a turnaround in form, fortune and most of all, attitude.”I’ve come to the conclusion I’m going to smile rather than let thingsget on top of me,” said Harmison, as he laughed and joked his waythrough an upbeat press conference. “That’s all I’m going to do. I’ve stopped beating myself up, I’ve tried to staypositive and tried to make the most of it. If it doesn’t happen, itdoesn’t happen. But if you get three wickets on a hot day in Galle,then well done.”Well done indeed. Without Harmison’s hard-earned interventions,England might well have squandered a golden opportunity to level theseries. As it is, they are still not as well placed as the early-morning conditions suggested that they should have been. But Sri Lanka’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, admitted that his team had been intending to bowl first as well, on a Galle track that has been thesubject of so many setbacks that no one really had a clue how itmight play. If the pitch bakes hard for England’s innings beforecrumbling when Sri Lanka’s second turn comes about, then a first-dayscoreline of 147 for 4 might yet prove to be crucial.Even so, Harmison admitted that England had let their advantage slipearly in the day, when they misjudged the tactics needed for successon such a track. “Sometimes when you see the amount of rain we’ve hadhere, and the amount of time that wicket has been under covers, andhow damp it was, and you get three quick bowlers with a brand newKookaburra in their hands after the captain’s won the toss and bowled- you start clapping your hands and thinking wickets.”But sometimes that can go the opposite way, and to be honest it did,”said Harmison. “We bowled full but we floated it. We had a chat atlunchtime, and decided we needed to hit the deck a bit more, or if wedid bowl full, we had to bowl with some purpose. So we came out anddid that, and the rest of the day was a lot better. But that’s whathappens when your captain wins the toss and bowls – sometimes you go50 for 5, sometimes it’s 80 for 1.””We bowled full but we floated it. We had a chat at lunchtime, and decided we needed to hit the deck a bit more, or if wedid bowl full, we had to bowl with some purpose. So we came out anddid that, and the rest of the day was a lot better”- Steve HarmisonOverall, Harmison felt that the pitch had not quite played toEngland’s expectations. “When it did things this morning it did itbig, so that if the batsman played down the line he was never going tohit it,” he said. “But since then, it’s not done that much. For thelast four overs I bowled cross-seam, and that seemed to skid the ballon a little bit, with the odd one bouncing from round the wicket. Itprobably didn’t do as much as we thought, but they are 140 for 4, sowe’ve got to be happy.”For all his efforts, Harmison did give England a scare at the end ofhis eighth over, when he trudged towards the dressing room, looking as though he’d suffered another back spasm. The truth, however, was rather more mundane. “I was knackered,” he said. “I couldn’t breathe, so I had to go off. That middle session of an hour and a half was real hard work, as tough as it has been in Testcricket.”Harmison declared that England were very happy with the waytheir day had gone, after a build-up to the match that, while full ofemotion and significance, was not exactly ideal for Test cricketers.”We still had a Test match to play, and to win, and I thought we’vebeen very professional so far in doing what we’ve done,” saidHarmison. “What happened three years ago was a horrendous time forthese people, and what’s happened in this last 48 hours probablywasn’t the best preparation for us. But the game had to be playedtoday. It had to be played no matter what, and it’s great for Englandthat we did well and hopefully put on a good spectacle for the SriLankans.”Harmison has now emerged with honours from two of the toughest days ofcricket he’s ever been put through, and with his confidence restored,he was able to look back objectively at his performances in an eventfulyear. “I’ll always do what I have to do, and if it’s good enough, it’sgood enough. It hasn’t been good enough for the last 12 months, butit’s hopefully going to get better and better.”