Harmy - Strauss should tour

Former paceman says England captain should have toured Bangladesh

Last updated: 8th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

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Former England paceman Steve Harmison has told Sky Sports News that Andrew Strauss should lead the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.

The dual Ashes winner is no stranger to the pressures of life on the road, and believes the England captain needs a break ahead of a busy international schedule in 2010.

But while he feels that Alastair Cook, who takes over the reins for the tour, is the obvious choice to eventually fill Strauss's boots, Harmison wants to see the Middlesex opener lead the side out in all Test matches.

"I think the captain should be there - whatever Andrew Strauss does he's between a rock and a hard place," said the Durham bowler.

"Personally, I would have liked to have seen him go for the two Test matches, even if he got there the day before the match.

"When we get to Australia time (at the end of the year) this break will have done him the world of good, but Alastair Cook is captain and the ECB are looking at the future, which is the right move.

"He is the next in line, I think he will be England captain for many years, he's got a good cricket brain and a level head and he's got a lot of respect in the dressing room.

"I would have liked to see Straussy go for those two Test matches but I know what it's like to be on the treadmill of international cricket and you do need a break."

The first one-day international takes place in Fatullah on February 28, with the first Test getting under way on March 12 in Chittagong.

Comments (9)

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Down Under says...

It's a disgrace that Strauss isn't touring Bangladesh. He's the team captain, he should be leading the touring party. It's an lack of respect for test cricket and the opposition in Bangladesh. Considering the current climate it's untimely that the captain of one of world cricket's highest profile teams won't be touring what is still a developing cricket nation.

Posted 02:40 25th February 2010

Tony Wood says...

Bit rich coming from Steve 'Homesick' Harmison...

Posted 12:57 11th February 2010

Shane Bhuj says...

Would you ever see Ponting rest from a test match? How about Steve Waugh? Graeme Smith? These guys would play with 1 arm to captain their country. And how many tests has Strauss captained for - he is hardly a veteran captain. Embarrassing for both the ECB & Strauss.

Posted 08:05 11th February 2010

Ginette Edmundson says...

Steve Harmison HAS a valid point.... and how dare other people criticise his opinion..... as someone who has been criticised by others, it is right he points his finger back.... Strauss is supposed to be the captain..... why should he get a choice as to wether or not he tours?

Posted 20:09 10th February 2010

Tommy Johnson says...

The England managment is to soft ,the captain should be out there playing.Leave Harmison alone,you loved him when he was taking test wickets;

Posted 00:22 10th February 2010

Stuart Mcleod says...

Although Steve Harmison is perhaps the last person you would expect to comment on Andrew Strauss's non availability to tour Bangladeth, he is surely right in what he says. Why does Strauss need to be rested? It is not as if he has played all that much cricket lately. Tours today are short, though admittedly intense, but it cannot be argued that he has been all that active in the last year. He has not played much county cricket in that period, nor does he take part in international 20/20 cricket, so it is a more a case of pandering to the modern notion that test players play too much cricket, when in fact what is meant is that they play a lot of "intense" cricket, but, for me, that is no reason to turn his back on a very short tour to Bangladesh. It is an unfortunate echo of the days when top English players were suddenly unavailible for tours of the sub-continent. And what if his replacement scores prolifically and Cook fails miserably, a point made succinctly by Shane Warne yesterday? I feel that Andrew Strauss should be at the helm encouraging his team to perform more consistently, and in doing so further developing his own captaincy skills. There was a time when professional cricketers just loved to play, wasn't there?

Posted 13:33 9th February 2010

Danny King says...

Shut up Harmison. How dare you lecture anyone about when they should or should not tour when you always took the a'la carte approach to representing England. Hypocrite.

Posted 08:17 9th February 2010

Andrew Cormack says...

I think these comment from Harmison are a bit rich considering his attitude to touring for England even though I agree with most of his point I don't think he should now be pointing the finger at other people. Iam sure he didn't like it when ex players and the media were being critical of his attitude on tour. How quickley people are to judge when they are out of the International picture.

Posted 06:38 9th February 2010

Fess Hussain says...

It is a great shame to see a captain rested in any forms of cricket especially the longer versions of the game where his ability and cricketing brain will be tested. If the guy needs a rest he should retire from the shorter format of the game and concentrate on tests and give the younger guys an opportunity to play and a feel for international cricket. By brining a guy in for a couple of tests to replace him is unfair on the newcomer even if he does well his place in the team isn¿t guaranteed unlike the lazy captain who plays when he feels like it.

Posted 18:35 8th February 2010
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