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Harmison vows to earn England recall with form for Durham

14/04/2008

Beleaguered fast bowler Steve Harmison has vowed to win back his place in England's Test side after receiving criticism recently.

The Durham paceman is eager to prove himself to the England selectors in county cricket after a poor winter tour of New Zealand, which saw him dropped after a disappointing first Test.

Harmison took just one wicket, conceding 121 runs in the process, as England stuttered to a humiliating defeat in the first match of the tour before a changed team bounced back to secure a 2-1 series victory.

And despite several media critics rounding on Harmison, saying he is not deserving of his spot in the team, the 29-year-old has issued a stinging response.

"I wouldn't play for Durham if I didn't think I could play for England again," he told Setanta Sports.

"If I was 32 or 33 then maybe they'd look somewhere else, but I'm 29 and I want to play for England again.

"I can't stress that enough. If I didn't want to play for England again, I wouldn't be sat here in a Durham shirt because I would have nothing to strive for."

Harmison came in for particular criticism from former England bowler Andrew Caddick, who plays for Durham's county cricket rivals Somerset.

Caddick questioned his counterpart's motivation for playing international cricket, saying he is currently "not viable" as an option for England.

But Harmison has hit back, stating that "some people should know better".

"I find it strange when people criticise me who are still playing in the game. A couple of people have criticised me and still have to play against me," he explained.

"It's not something I'm overly concerned about but I'm quite looking forward to them being 22 yards away from me - especially if I've got my tail up."