New Zealand v England, 1st Test, Hamilton, 2nd day

David Lloyd: Pitch dead as a doornail

March 6, 2008

On a day that was dominated by the bat, Ross Taylor hit his maiden century to help New Zealand post an imposing total in the first innings. Apart from Ryan Sidebottom, England bowlers struggled and now it's up to the batsmen, who managed to end the second day on a promising note

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Comments have now been closed for this article Steve Harmison no longer has what is required to bowl at Test Match level. Yes it's not a friendly pitch for fast bowlers, but he has really let himself down in this first test with a poor attitude and complete lack of motivation. It is particularly disappointing that Harmison looks as if he doesn't want to be in New Zealand at all. This is an insult to both Stuart Broad and James Anderson who are both sitting out this Test and would have bowled with boundless enthusiasm. It is also an insult to the rest of Harmison's team-mates, particularly Ryan Sidebottom who has shown what can be achieved by keeping your head held high and bowling with application, desire and agression at all times. It's a sad situation but I'm afraid Steve Harmison has been given too many chances before, it's about time England made the brave decision of dropping him for good and giving a younger bowler a chance to prove himself. Posted by Fellinipip on March 06 2008, 19:46 PM GMT When watching Harmison, he does seem out of sorts. In form, it is fair to mention he and Curtly Ambrose in the same breath. While Ambrose was more accurate, Harmison even lacking rhythm still bowls at the same pace as Ambrose when he was in New Zealand in 94/95. A couple of technical adjustments will have him back to the outstanding bowler he was during the Ashes 0f 2005. Posted by thenoostar on March 06 2008, 19:26 PM GMT Unfortunately I have to agree with the comments already posted. Harmy has the potential to be one of the greats, but right at this moment the impression one is left with is, he is not fit, not interested and not likely to improve! Stevo you need to run in, bowl fast and hit the deck, you maybe the only bowler in the either side who could get anything out of the surface, but at the moment KP has as many wickets as you in the series. Get yourself out in the nets while England try to keep wickets intact and work on bowling fast and causing chaos. It's called practice and hard work! Oh and stop training with Newcastle United, it's doing neither you or them any good!! Posted by Adrian-alda-psychses on March 06 2008, 14:34 PM GMT Yeah, I'd mention Harmison and Ambrose in the same breath. It would be "Let's face it, Harmy's no Curtley and never will be". He's been the nearly man for years - frustrating to watch for an overweight middle-aged fan who wishes he'd ever had a tenth of Harmison's talent. Posted by CaptainPedant on March 06 2008, 13:34 PM GMT Many have compared Harmison with Ambrose - he may have similar physical attributes, but he is not fit to be mentioned in the same breath. How anygenuine quick can come in and bowl at 80mph, with the total lack of passion he showed, is staggering - he clearly has no pride in wearing the England shirt - he only has to look at his great mate Flintoff to see what it means to play for England. I can guarantee that as a 12-hour-a-day office worker, i know more about conditioning training than Harmison. What exactly is his training regime? I think he needs to look at Brett Lee - the kind of conditioning training that he undergoes allows him to bowl at 150kph for 20 overs a day. It also takes heart - which Harmison clearly lacks. And this is not a knee-jerk reaction to a one-off performance. He has been like this for years now. So embarrasing has he become that Vaughan said that 4 wides and a leg bye in his first over of a tour match was "not bad by Harmison's standards". Unbelievable Posted by Vakbar on March 06 2008, 11:04 AM GMT I think Harmison needs more training. He is a very good bowler and can prove dangerous on his day, however, he need more consistency in his bowling. England side really misses Flintoff here as he is the one who always makes the difference in the side. England has an interesting match on their hands here. It will be great to see Andrew Strauss's performance as his innings will make difference in England's chase. Posted by Dipul on March 06 2008, 09:40 AM GMT I can't believe that we're still playing Harmison! Time and time again he's showed us that he simply doesn't have the mental attributes to be an international quality bowler. Seeing him lolling in and releasing the ball at 79mph (which is slower than Hoggard!) was painful, especially as he doesn't seem to know where he's trying to bowl it! I'm a firm believer that his purple patch in 2004 was an exception rather than the rule. It's a real shame as he does have 90% of the attributes necessary to be truely world class he just doesn't know how to use them. It's time we dismissed Harmison onto the tried pile and concentrated on the new breed of English bowlers like Stuart Broad. He's young and hungry, already bowls at over 85mph, can bat and is dependable in the field. Posted by Ed270380 on March 06 2008, 09:00 AM GMT Why do we persisit with Harmison? He's obviously not "up for it" and hasn't been for two years. His body language is totally wrong and his attitude must filter down through the rest of the team. Pick Broad and stick with him, he's got the right attitude and obviously enjoys the game! As for the furore about Anderson going to Auckland(by the CEO for Wellington), I agree with Athers,half the cricketers in the world come to the counties to hone their skills. We'll never win at cricket or soccer until we restrict the overseas players in our teams. Maximum 1 player. Posted by Chalky2 on March 06 2008, 08:29 AM GMT Top ^