Published: Jun 12, 2015, 05:08 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 12, 2015, 05:15 PM (IST)
Less than a month before the first Ashes Test, Ryan Harris has spoken of his physical and mental readiness, with his break from competitive cricket and the rehab that focussed on getting him bodily fit to fire in the upcoming Ashes. He is to fly to London on Friday and will play the warm-up match between Elite International Cricket Academy and Hampshire Cricket XI in the Isle of Wight, and two other matches with his fellow Australian squad members before the Cardiff Test on July 8. READ: Ryan Harris set to emerge Ashes-ready from training program
Writing for Fairfax, Harris shed light on his fulness of his preparation. His last competitive match was the Sydney Test against India in January, the last match of a series that had gone less than ideal for the fast bowler according to his standards. “When I went through what went wrong against India, I realised it was my own fault. I had let myself get distracted. I knew deep down I had a good few months’ preparation, but I was doing too many things here and there, going interstate for appearances and stuff. Even the Australia A coaching (Harris took over a coaching role in the interim), as great as it was, dragged me away from my rehab. It should’ve been better. I was doing too much travelling and missing a few training sessions here and there, and it was purely my fault. I learnt a lesson from that. That was the determining factor in me agreeing to sit out the second half of the Sheffield Shield season.” READ: Ryan Harris and Cherie name baby boy, Carter James Harris
But once he did away with distractions, he found his soreness waning, a signal that bodes well for him to fire consistently against England in the five Tests. “When I’m getting out of bed in the morning now, I’m not feeling like a truck has hit me. I’ve been bowling now for about four or five weeks, and I’m seeing the rewards of it. I’m still pulling up sore but nowhere near as sore as I was. I know that’s only at training and I’ve still got to take that step up to match intensity, but I’ve got a really good base to make that a little bit easier than it normally is.” READ: Ryan Harris looking forward to playing in Ashes 2015
And additionally, he had been observing the new English batsmen, watching them bat against New Zealand on television.
“Soon after I resumed bowling I was spending my evenings – and well into the nights – watching England’s series against New Zealand. It’s unusual for me to do so much scouting. Maybe it was a combination of me getting stir crazy and realising it will most definitely be my last Ashes series (I don’t even know when the next one is!).
“I was really keen to watch their new opener Adam Lyth especially, and also Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler – guys I haven’t played a lot against – even Alastair Cook, to see what changes he’s made. I definitely got a lot out of it.”
But the price he has had to pay for this fruitful period of break is that he had to sacrifice his spot to someone else, and he may have to win back his spot in England. He stayed with his family in time for the birth of his first baby, opting out of the tour of West Indies. “I’m definitely not expecting to walk straight back into that team. That’s the price I pay. I’ve stayed behind here for a great reason – having a baby is a life-changing experience – and by doing that it’s given someone else an opportunity. Both aspects of my preparation, my fitness and (now bigger) family, have been ideal. Now it’s time to focus on the big prize: the Ashes.”
The five-Test series will go on for the best part of two months, ending at The Oval late August.
