STEVE HARMISON might have wished to make a solitary appearance at The Grange this summer, charging up the slope from the Nursery End to terrify Scotland's quivering top order with the kind of relentless pace which carried him all the way to the top of cricket's world rankings. Not for his beloved Durham, for whom he will turn out this afternoon in the Friend's Provident Trophy, but proudly sporting England's three lions in August's One Day International with their northern
Such is Harmison's plummet from grace that the county circuit is now his presumed domicile. Midway through England's winter tour to New Zealand, he was no longer entrusted with the new ball. By its end, he was yesterday's man, the latest spark to be
burnt out by the toils and traumas of the game.
It would be nothing short of astonishing if the father of four was named this morning in the English squad for this week's First Test against the Black Caps at Lord's. The New Zealand tour tore a further strip from his hard-won reputation two months ago, casting doubts on the 29-year-old's technique and his willingness to continue on a purely domestic stage.
Don't write him off just yet, however, argues Scotland's young seamer, Gordon Goudie. "When he was in form, he was one of the best of the world. And that was only a couple of years ago. The thing about bowling is that you can have one bad day, and then the next take a 5-for. It must be really frustrating for him, having been at the top of the rankings. But when you've been that good, it means that now he's probably nowhere near as bad as people are making out."
England's loss, temporary or otherwise, is the gain of the Trophy holders. "You'd expect he'd have something to prove," adds Goudie. "He still wants to play for England so he'll be wanting to take every chance."
Opportunity also knocks, though, for the Saltires, still buoyant after last Monday's astonishing and wholly unexpected victory over Lancashire at Old Trafford. Given the sterling contributions of Dewald Nel and John Blain, plus the reversal of Craig Wright's earlier decision to prioritise his Under 19 side, Goudie will have to wait until the last minute to discover his position in the line-up.
It is harsh on the former Middlesex apprentice who, like Harmison, has his own incentives to impress after a recent trial with Gloucestershire.
"I played a three-day game for them against the MCC and I took 3-19 in the first innings and 1-18 in the second. I'm definitely still looking to go back down south and it's something that's at the forefront of my mind. They tried to get me down a few times last year but it always seemed to coincide with a Scotland A game. But they've told me they'll try and work round that better to bring me in again at some point."
Scotland v Durham (12 noon, The Grange)
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