Holding gives Harmison thumbs-up on remedial bowling work by CricketArchive staff reporter

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Player:	MA Holding, SJ Harmison
Event:	England in Australia 2006/07

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DateLine: 30th November 2006

 

West Indies' bowling great Michael Holding believes Steve Harmison is back on track to play a major role for England in the Ashes Test series in Australia. Harmison rediscovered the rhythm in the Adelaide Oval nets Wednesday he was so badly lacking in the Ashes opener in Brisbane, where his blow-out left him demoralized and cost his side any chance of winning the Gabba Test. Holding, one of Test cricket's most intimidating fast bowlers in his prime with 249 wickets in 60 Tests, watched Harmison's work-out in the nets. He has faith the Durham speedster can iron out a slight technical glitch that contributed to him imploding in Brisbane. "From what I have seen I don't think there's a major problem," Holding said Wednesday. "There's just a slight problem that he's having with leaning away at the point of delivery and once you start leaning away, it means you're pushing (wide) the ball instead of driving it from behind, and as soon as he sorts that out he'll be okay. As a fast bowler, as a cricketer, as a sportsman you develop some bad habits along the way and you need some expert to help sort those bad habits out," he said. But Holding, who was known as 'Whispering Death' for his smooth yet hostile bowling action, said England's best hope of levelling the series had to transfer his improvement out to the middle. "Nets are different from out in the middle," he said. "This is just getting some confidence back." Harmison has told teammates he is on the mend after working out the technical flaws that bedevilled him in Brisbane. "He's in a good mood," new-ball bowling partner Matthew Hoggard said Wednesday. "Obviously, when you're bowling well in the nets and you're bowling well, you know yourself when the ball comes out if it's feeling good or if it's not. He says it's feeling good so hopefully you see a different Steve Harmison in Adelaide. He's hitting the bat hard, and he's telling me he knows where it's going. He's feeling good and he's feeling that everything's coming out well, so I've got full confidence."