Published: Aug 13, 2015, 11:44 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 13, 2015, 11:44 AM (IST)
Former Australian cricketer Ryan Harris, who finally succumbed to a frail knee and announced his retirement from Test cricket before the Ashes 2015, says that he has no regrets after all that he went through. Harris skipped Australia’s tour of the West Indies and gave everything he could to ensure that he was ready for the Ashes 2015, but unfortunately luck betrayed him and he suffered yet another injury to his troubled knee. A frustrated Harris then decided to call off his international career, and stayed on with the Australian cricket team in England that lost the Ashes 2015. There are no doubts in saying that Australia sorely missed their star pacer, and his absence was one of the many reasons of their abject show in the first four Tests. ALSO READ: Ashes 2015: Ryan Harris slams criticism of Michael Clarke, reports of unrest in Australia
Harris was someone who would have made most of the opportunities in England as a bowler. He had the ability to bowl the ball both ways and Harris would have provided lot of strength to the Australian bowling attack, which did not perform to its potential. Mitchell Johnson failed to make most of whatever bowling conditions he got, and the youngsters in Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood suffered because of their lack of experience.
However, Harris says he has no regrets as he stayed on with the plan that Australian team performance and general manager, Pat Howard, chalked out for him. “We all agreed to it – the medical staff, the captain, coach – the plan was to get to England. Everything was going to plan until that day in Kent when it fell apart,” Harris wrote for the Fairfax media. ALSO READ: Ryan Harris: Put simply, a fast bowler who loved his job
He continued, “I was the fittest I’d been, if not ever then for a long, long time. I did everything asked of me in the gym and felt unbelievable. If you could replace knees and get back to 100 per cent fitness I’d be laughing because the rest of me is going really well. I’ve got no regrets at all.”
Harris will now be busy into coaching roles, which begins with the Australian Under-17 team. The team will play in the Under-19 National Championship in December. Harris will also have a role as an assistant coach of the Prime Minister’s XI and Cricket Australia XI teams. The former cricketer is also expected to help Graeme Hick in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh next year.
