Akram offers to help Harmison hit heights
PAKISTAN legend Wasim
Akram is offering his services to
the man he believes has all of the
attributes needed to be the best
fast bowler on the planet - even
if the player himself doesn't
quite believe it.
Steve Harmison is the man on
Akram's radar but the former
Pakistan skipper is convinced
that Durham's spearhead is in
danger of falling short of his own
aspirations, as much as those of
his critics, as a direct result of his
fragile temperament and insecurity.
Akram, arguably the greatest
left-arm quick bowler in history,
has long admired Harmison's
ability and is imploring the England
fast bowler to prove his critics
wrong by bowling fast and
trusting his instincts.
"The only thing Steve Harmison
needs is self-belief," said
Akram.
"I've watched him for a few
years and there is nothing wrong
with his bowling.
"If I was asked to help Steve I
would encourage him to back his
talent, reassure him that he
won't be dropped, and I would
keep telling him to ignore people
who criticise him and just concentrate
on bowling as fast as he
can.
"Nobody can tell
me that Steve does
not have the ability
to bowl fast and
he's proved in the
past on so many
occasions that
when he gets it
right he gets good
players out.
"Test cricket is a
completely different
game to one-day cricket
because in one-day
matches a fast bowler has
to vary his pace, particularly
on sub-continent
pitches, where variety
and use of the crease is
very important.
"Steve's asset is that
he is tall, quick, strong,
and he gets good bounce, so if
he's patient in Test cricket and he
trusts himself then he can be one
of the best fast bowlers in the
world."
Akram formed one of the
greatest new-ball bowling partnerships
with his compatriot
Waqar Younis and their destructive
swing bowling at lethal pace
crushed many batsmen's toes as
well as their stumps.
The 41-year-old former Lancashire
and Hampshire allrounder,
who took 414 Test wickets
at an outstanding 23.62
average, and 502 one-day international
wickets at 23.52, has revealed
a long-standing ambition
to coach a county side despite
having no experience in the role.
Adding weight to Akram's
claims, however, is that he still
owns a house in the Manchester
area and bases himself in England
for a significant part of the
year.
He is currently employed as a
television commentator for various
sub-contintental broadcasters
and in that capacity is touring
Australia to commentate on
the Test series between Australia
and India. But looking ahead to
the future, Durham could be of
the counties high on his priority
list of potential
employers if an
offer is made
from the Riverside.
"I would like to
coach a county team
and I like Durham,"
Akram said.
"I've still got my
house in Altrincham
and although
I have
not coached any
bowlers before
it's something I
definitely want
to do.
"I have
worked with
some of the
P a k i s t a n
bowlers from time to time but I
have not been employed as a
coach, so it's an option for me.
"In the future I would also be
interested in doing some coaching
with an international team
like England because I love living
in the UK.
"Having been a part of the system
in the country I can say that
English bowlers have the most
potential of any country to improve.
"I've got years of experience in
the game and I want to give something
back."
10:26am Saturday 29th December 2007
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