ACCORDING to some former players and cricketing experts, Steve Harmison was too gentle, too laid-back and too nice to be a member of the fast bowling elite. Predictably, he disagrees.

There were times when he was fired up into a rage, there were times when he was pumped up with adrenaline and there were times when he wanted to hurt the batsman at the other end of a dusty strip.

The only problem was, when he was in that sort of mood he generally bowled badly, most famously when he sent the first ball of an Ashes series in Australia so wide it bounced into the hands of second slip.

“There is a nasty streak in me, I can be a nasty bowler. I do have that side,” said Harmison, mindful of the fact former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting still carries a scar he gave him with a ball that smashed into his cheekbone at Lord’s.

“But I never really saw the point in being like that. There are some bowlers out there who thrive on their nasty streak, but they can be a bit predictable and they can be pretty stupid with it.

“I like to think I’ve got a controlled nasty streak. If I really want to be nasty and aggressive I can be. I can give people a proper working over, but I only ever did it if I felt it was going to benefit me.

“I’m not verbal either. What’s the point? It’s not going to do me any good, people who are verbal, sometimes they do it to fire themselves up rather than have a go at the batsman.

“I never thought it was going to help me get anyone out. I didn’t think I needed to say anything when I had the ball in my hand.”

He continued: “People wanted me to be nastier, they used to say that. I should be this and that, I should be more hostile and aggressive, but that wasn’t me.

“Some of the best bowlers in the world have hardly uttered a word out on the pitch. I’m not going to stand there and abuse anyone. It’s not in my make-up.”

Instead, Harmison claims he bowled best when his mind was clear and his body and bowling action went into autopilot. He said: “I actually felt better when I was calm, with me it was always about rhythm, it still is. When I got into my rhythm and it clicked, I was a bloody good bowler.

“I sometimes couldn’t find my rhythm and because I’m all arms and legs everywhere, it stood out more.

“I used to be told I was all over the shop, perhaps I should have been calmer more of the time. Sometimes I was too fired up and tried too hard. What happened in Brisbane, that will never go away, but it was one ball. It’s a painful memory, but I’ve got plenty of happy ones.”