Pumped-up Harmison Punishes Yorkshire

After lambasting his critics as the sort who kick people when they are down, Steve Harmison had a chance yesterday to land a couple of knockout blows of his own. His looseners, famously, have occasionally ended up in slip's hands but this time he took a wicket with the first ball of both his spells. The comeback starts here. Target: Lord's, first Test, New Zealand, May 15.

Harmison had sounded so pumped up for Durham's opening tie in the Friends Provident Trophy that he had suggested that "the world will be watching", although whether the world always included one SJ Harmison Esq when there was a Newcastle vs Sunderland derby on the other channel is open to question.

The latest figure to swing a boot in Harmison's direction yesterday was his former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, with whom he shared a tense relationship. Fletcher has had a year out of the game in Cape Town but his opinions remain as valuable and trenchant as ever. He observed of Harmison's unproductive winter in the Sunday Telegraph: "It's typical Harmy, I'm afraid. We've seen it over and over again. He could and should be the No1 one bowler in the world but he can't seem to be able to put it all together."

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain commentating on Sky, has rarely disagreed with Fletcher on anything from cricket theory to the price of fish - headline writers would make him the George Osborne to Fletcher's David Cameron - but it was debatable whether he was goading Harmison when he observed: "Durham should go well this season because they should have Harmison for most of it."

The ball that dismissed Gerard Brophy was stereotypically Harmison, difficult because of its steep bounce targeting the rib cage but, it has to be said, not unplayable. Brophy, as it was, did not play it particularly well, which was much in keeping with Yorkshire, who lost half their side for 57.

Harmison later repeated the first-ball trick, returning in fading light to take a wicket at the start of his second spell. This was more inconsequential, except for the fact that Richard Pyrah hauled it to the younger Harmison, Ben, at deep midwicket.

With Yorkshire needing 80 from nine overs with two wickets left, Harmison must have felt the job was done but the ninth-wicket pair of Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad hit about them so pluckily - taking 22 off one over from Neil Killeen - that Yorkshire suddenly needed 22 from three overs.

Harmison summoned a couple of yorkers and escaped with relief with two for 40 in 10 overs. Shahzad, who had earlier been the pick of the Yorkshire seam bowlers, fell to Killeen at long-off, and Yorkshire needed 11 from Graham Onions' last over. His fifth ball - a brave slower ball with Bresnan on strike and six needed off two balls - had the batsman caught at extra cover. Bresnan's 55 from 58 balls had got Yorkshire closer than they had ever imagined.

Durham won this 50-overs competition last year, the first major trophy in their history, as well as finishing runners-up in the championship. They can maintain such standards. Geoff Cook, their director of cricket, feels they have to improve their form away from home; they say the same about Harmison.

The mainstay of Durham's total was Neil McKenzie, who was barely off the plane but still made 77 from 123 balls, his most adventurous shot the pre-meditated slog-sweep. McKenzie has just had a wonderful tour of Bangladesh and India and has revived his South Africa career at 32 and could prove one of the shrewdest signings of the summer.

Ben Harmison played judiciously alongside him in a steadying fifth-wicket stand of 59. On a nibbly April seamer, Durham's 220 looked safe, but for Harmison and co it was nearly embarrassing.