Harmison health caution
Harmison health caution
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Age: 29
Position: Midfield
Country: Germany
Caps: 63
Goals: 30
Club: Chelsea
Previous clubs: Chemnitzer, Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich
In his own words: It's all or nothing, but that's what we've been expecting all along. |  |
Tuesday, 16, May 2006 11:26
Duncan Fletcher has insisted that Steve Harmison will not be rushed back to Test match action until he is fully fit.
England’s fastest bowler was missing from the first Test in which Sri Lanka were allowed to bat out a draw after the home side had posted what should have been a winning first innings total.
The bowler, known to his team-mates as Grievous Bodily Harmison due to his bone breaking fast bowling, will hope to be fit in time for the second Test.
The match begins on Thursday week and England are already without fellow Ashes bowlers Ashley Giles and Simon Jones.
Fletcher said: "Hopefully he'll be fit for the next Test but we have to be very careful about his fitness. There is a lot of cricket ahead of us and if we rush him and there is a problem we're only going to have to rest him again later on.
"We have to make sure everyone is fully fit when they come back and play for us. He's only played one game so far after two months off so we'll have to see how fit he is and how he pulls up after that.
"There's a good chance he'll be called up into the squad and we'll analyse him after that, but he's only going to have one four-day game before then."
Harmison will play for Durham in a four-day match against Nottinghamshire this week in a bid to prove his fitness.