Stephen Harmison believes Australia are short on confidence with the first Ashes Test in Cardiff just a week away.
The 30-year-old fast bowler, bidding to regain his England place, showed signs of his old form in taking three wickets for 67 runs for the England Lions against the tourists at New Road on Wednesday in their final warm-up match.
In particular he gave novice Australian opener Phillip Hughes a thorough working over with the short ball before the left-hander fended a rising delivery to Joe Denly in the gully after making just seven.
Harmison said Australia now without retired stars Matthew Hayden, Justin Lager, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, were missing much of their old swagger on Wednesday.
”This is my fourth time against Australia and the one thing I picked up… is that they are not as brash and confident as they normally are.
”I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it is to do with the side gelling together or whether they don’t have the big players of recent years, and the confidence you get from that.
”But they don’t seem to be the confident Australia I’ve known. I think there is only Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee who have played more Ashes tests than myself in the two squads.
”There are things you pick up on like body language. I’ve seen a little chink there. It is understandable because there are not the players in their side from bygone years.
”There is definitely something to work on for England and, if we can bat well, we have half a chance to win the Ashes back.”
Harmison has experienced both the highs and lows of Ashes cricket: on the first morning of England’s eventual 2-1 triumph in 2005 he set the tone by hitting Ponting on the cheek at Lord’s.
But in the 2006/07 return series, Harmison’s first ball in Brisbane — which ended up in the hands of Andrew Flintoff at second slip — proved equally indicative of things to come, with Australia romping to a 5-0 whitewash.
At his best, Harmison can make the ball rear steeply at pace.
And having seen the way in which left-hander Hughes struggled against the well-directed short ball, Harmison believes he may have found a weakness in the game of the 20-year-old batting sensation, who averages nearly 70 in Tests.
”The only one I hadn’t played against in their line-up was Phillip Hughes and I was interested to see how he went,” explained the veteran of 61 Tests.
”He is a very good player. I’ve seen him on television, he is 20 and he is no mug.
”If you put the short ball in the right area, he will belt it. But he is susceptible to any ball coming anywhere around his hip and armpit area.
”That has given him an eye opener for what is to come because we have got some tall bowlers in the England team and they might target that area.” — AFP
