Harmison - 'I admit I'm not a good traveller'

Just as Stephen Harmison's Test career was starting to take off, it was grounded by a back injury, which cut short his tour of Bangladesh this winter. However, Harmison tells Freddie Auld he is back fit and raring to go for the West Indies series after months of hard work in the gym - and clears up a few ugly rumours as well:

Harmison: `I admit I'm not a good traveller' © Getty Images

Congratulations on your call-up, how did you hear about it?
Andy Jarvis, Durham's press officer, told me that morning. I was obviously really pleased to be included. I was quietly confident I would make it, to be honest. I hadn't done much wrong and I had proved my fitness after seven hard weeks at Loughborough.

The 24-hour delay can't have helped, do you know why that happened?
I haven't got a clue. I presume they were checking on someone's fitness, but it can't have been mine as no-one from the management's spoken to me since December.

Some uncomplimentary things were said and written about your attitude after you returned home during the Bangladesh tour, how did you react to that?
I'm not bothered with what they said. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. If they write that I'm crap then fine, but when they question my attitude and commitment, it's not fair. I took it all on the chin, though. I don't pay attention to people who've never played the game, but it was a shame to hear some former players saying stuff. But I've got no problem with them, it's their job now to fill newspaper columns, and it's my job to play for England.

The comments must have hurt a bit, though?
I'm honestly not bothered. If those people want to speak to me face to face then that's fine. I don't hold any grudges against anyone, life's all about opinions.

There were also suggestions that you didn't want to train at Loughborough.
Admittedly, I did have a few reservations at first. Loughborough is a long way from where I live, and when I got back from Bangladesh, I thought I only had a couple of weeks before I would be off to Sri Lanka. Naturally, I wanted to spend as much of that time with my family. Also, in the condition I was in, Loughborough wasn't exactly the best place for me to be as I could hardly do any exercise. But once I didn't make the plane for Sri Lanka, I was down there four times a week.

Just to make things worse, your early return threw up the old allegations of you not being a good traveller - is that a fair comment?
Yes, I admit I'm not a good traveller. I always seem to struggle at the start of any tour with homesickness. I struggled in Australia last winter and it affected my performances on the field. But I made a real effort in Bangladesh and will do the same in the West Indies.

Did any players or officials get in contact to reassure you while these allegations were being made?
Colly [Paul Collingwood] gave me a call to check I was OK, but the guys had a job to do in Sri Lanka and they had other things on their minds. Rod Marsh and Troy Cooley were great to me, though. I've got a lot of time for Rod, and he reassured me not to worry about anything, he knew what was going on. No-one in the England camp were quoted as saying anything about me, it must have started from outside.

So, what actually happened in the first Test at Dhaka?
My back just completely seized up in the second innings. Going from fielding on a soft, muddy outfield to bowling on a rock-hard wicket didn't help. I had really bad spasms and the discs became compressed. The injury then took some time to settle.

How has your fitness programme been going since then?
Fine. I've been at Loughborough for mostly four days a week, depending on what I could do, and it took about two and a half weeks to start bowling again. The technology they have down there is fantastic, and working with Troy really helped me. Even though I grew sick of the sight of them, both Troy and Rod have played a big part in bringing my game forward from a standard first-class cricketer to a Test player.

Are you totally fit now?
I'm 100% fit now. I'm back to bowling off my full run, and am just now building up my fitness. I've been netting a lot too. I had one yesterday with Colly, and he's looking in great form. It's a shame he's on the sidelines at the moment. He's a street-wise and clued-in cricketer, his game's come on so much. But I'm not saying he should replace Nasser Hussain. In my opinion, it would have been wrong to have left out Hussain from the squad. He has so many strengths as a batsman; he knows how to play the short ball well, and has experience of playing in the Caribbean.

Looking back to Bangladesh, how did you find it?
It was tough. I had never experienced anything like it before. I found it difficult. The conditions didn't suit me, but I think I adapted my game well. It was good to take some wickets, and it was also good as I got to know my team-mates better. For example, I had never met Geraint Jones before and I didn't even know what he looked like. But we all got on really well - that's what those trips are good for.

Did you watch any of the Sri Lanka series on TV?
Not really. If I'm not playing because I'm injured, rather than being dropped, then I won't watch. It hurts when I'm not involved. I only watched when Colly was in.

'I'm getting better every Test' © Getty Images

Do you think the loss will have any affect on the West Indies series?
No, I don't think so. I spoke to Vaughany [Michael Vaughan] the other day, and he had already pushed it to one side. It certainly won't have any effect on team morale; the team spirit is great. It was great when Nasser was captain, and now it's a bit more light-hearted under Vaughany. He's a very straight-laced guy who takes no truck, but he's also mates with everyone. And now that the team is fairly young, there's so much energy in the dressing-room. The younger ones get on well with the older players too. The new ones don't have any set routines either. You had players like Stewie [Alec Stewart] who had been playing for 400 years and had a set routine, but the youngsters just get on with it.

How would you describe your England career so far?
Getting better. Every Test I'm getting better. Injuries are part of the game, and every player will always have some, but I got through 11 Tests in a row and now I want to play 15 or 20 and take as many wickets as possible. All I'm concentrating on at the moment is playing as many games as possible.

How do you rate England's chances in the Caribbean?
We've got a good chance, we've got the bowlers to take 20 wickets. I'm keeping my fingers crossed with Simon Jones, I really hope he makes it. I worked hard with him at the academy and he's a naturally strong person. Jonah's a quality bowler, but don't forget Hoggy [Matthew Hoggard]. He's been one of our best bowlers, and he's got a big part to play as well. If we can get Brian Lara early then we can put the pressure on the others. They're not the worst side in the world, but we can beat them if we get a good start.

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