Onions and Harmison impress the Durham skipper

Jun 11 2009 by Steve Brown, The Journal

WILL Smith has paid tribute to the character of the fast bowlers who led Durham to their maiden County Championship win of the season earlier this week – and who will be relied upon to repeat the feat against Lancashire.

Graham Onions and Stephen Harmison shared 15 wickets against Hampshire on Tuesday and will be key figures in their next four-day game, which starts at the Riverside this morning.

Onions has begun the season tremendously, taking 35 wickets in six first-class matches. It has carried him into the England side, taking five first-innings wickets in a memorable Lord’s debut. The 26-year-old’s international heroics have confined Harmison to the shadows. The Ashington Express has not represented his country since the winter and is playing second fiddle for Durham now Onions is back on the county circuit.

But according to their captain, Will Smith, you would never be able to tell which one was on a high and which was supposedly in the doldrums from their demeanours.

Of Onions, he said: “He has kept his feet very much on the ground, which must be hard to do when you take a five-fer at Lord’s on your debut. A lot of people would get a little bit over-confident but he hasn’t, he’s just known he’s got to keep coming back, bowling in the same vein and taking wickets. I don’t think there’s many people bowling better than him in the country. If he gets picked for the Ashes, it’s great for him and I’m sure he’ll do well, if he doesn’t, it means we get him for the rest of the season.”

On the evidence of the victory against Hampshire, Harmison does not appear to be letting his international exclusion affect him.

Rested up after just four overs’ bowling since May 10, the 30-year-old got better as the game went on, although the innings and 110-run success was wrapped up so quickly on Tuesday he did not get a bowl. But the previous evening he combined hostility with accuracy.

“He amazes me,” Smith said. “People always tend to get on his back and he seems an easy target.

“But it must be such a hard job to do what he does day in, day out for 10-15 years. He tries his heart out every time. He’s an amazing guy for that.

“Sure, sometimes he’s not bowling 90mph but he’s still trying everything he possibly can to take wickets and do well for whoever he’s playing for.

“It’s harder as you get older to bowl more overs but every time he bowls, it’s fast and straight and his control of length is as good as he can do.

“Not to start with Stephen on Tuesday could have gone either way but if they’d got a partnership together we always had him up our sleeve. There’s no bowler in the world I’d rather have up my sleeve. He’s bowled really well in Championship cricket this year and he’s been a little bit unlucky not taking the wickets.”

Scotland’s early exit from the World Twenty20 means their star performer, Kyle Coetzer, is available again. But such is Durham’s confidence, the Aberdonian’s only role is likely to be providing cover.

“Kyle’s done brilliantly to do well on the World Twenty20 stage,” said Smith. “His confidence will be sky-high and that’s something we’ve got to look at. But the guys who have played this game (against Hampshire) have done brilliantly and I think it might be right to keep faith in them.”

As such, and with Mark Davies (ankle) and Liam Plunkett (groin) unavailable, Durham have named an unchanged 12, with Ben Harmison once again likely to be left out.

And so too Andrew Flintoff, it would seem. The England star is recovering from knee surgery but has bowled in the nets this week and travels with Lancashire’s squad to the North East.

“He is coming to Durham whatever,” coach Peter Moores said. “It’s part of his whole rehab, to be integrated into the team here and back into cricket.

“Durham had an impressive win against Hampshire this week and are always extremely tough to play at home. They are one of the favourites to win the Championship, but we have a good away record this season, having already beaten Sussex and Worcestershire on the road, so hopefully we can come away from the North East with a positive result.”

DURHAM (from): Di Venuto, Stoneman, Smith, Muchall, Benkenstein, Blackwell, Mustard, Thorp, Claydon, Onions, B Harmison, S Harmison.