By Chloe Saltau
AS STEVE Harmison retreated from the pressures that paralysed him at the Gabba with a stroll through Adelaide with his young daughter yesterday, then entered the nets to rehabilitate his confidence, it emerged that his place in England's team for the second Test was far from secure.
England's bowling coach, Kevin Shine, requested a one-on-one session with the misfiring paceman and even kept coach Duncan Fletcher from attending, lest too much interference cloud Harmison's mind even further as he tries desperately to recover his rhythm before the next Test, starting on Friday.
Fletcher confirmed he was seriously considering adding a second spinner, Monty Panesar, for Adelaide, which would force one of Matthew Hoggard, Jimmy Anderson or Harmison from the team. Harmison, with his exceptional height, bounce and destructive capabilities, remains crucial to England's chances of levelling the series and retaining the Ashes, but he is not much good to anyone if he is spraying the ball around as he did in Brisbane, where he had an awful case of stage fright and finished with match figures of 1-177.
Though it is most likely Anderson would make way for Panesar, Fletcher yesterday would not guarantee Harmison's place.
Asked directly whether the steepling quick would play in Adelaide, he said: "We've just got to look at the side and, if we have to, there's a chance we could play with two spinners. That was definitely in our minds when we arrived in Australia, that there were some wickets, and this could be one of them, where we could go in with two spinners.
"I would think we've got to look at the other bowlers as well. If we go in with two spinners, one of the seamers is going to have to be left out. We've got to reassess the situation."
England have vested their faith in Shine, the former county stalwart recruited from Somerset to replace Troy Cooley, largely on the Tasmanian's recommendation, to revive Harmison in time to save the series. Shine beat the likes of Darren Gough, Allan Donald and Phil DeFreitas to the job, but it remains to be seen whether he has Cooley's almost spiritual touch with the fast bowling fraternity. Cooley is now firmly ensconced in the Australian camp.
"I spoke to Shiney on the bus going to the airport; he said [Harmison] would just like to go [and practise], and [Shine's] very confident he can do something," Fletcher said. "I've got every confidence in Kevin Shine, because I worked with Troy Cooley very closely and I have seen that they are very, very similar coaches."
Before he headed to the nets, Harmison was spotted in team tracksuit trundling through the city holding the hand of his daughter, Abby. The 28-year-old has always said he feels happiest when he is with his family at home in Ashington, or watching his beloved Newcastle United, but his country now needs him to fire up and bowl the way he did against Australia on the first morning at Lord's, 2005.
England will, predictably, try to channel memories of last year's comeback from 1-0 down as they attempt to get their Ashes campaign on track. "We've played on numerous occasions after two to three days when we haven't played well and bounced back," Fletcher said.
Harmison is not the only England player encouraged to tune up his game in the three days between Tests. Opener Andrew Strauss, out hooking in Brisbane for 12 and 11, has been told to choose his shots more carefully.
"We can talk to him, it can be an effective shot. It's just up to a player and he has to make the right decision whether he wants to hook or not," Fletcher said. "If he feels confident and comfortable hooking, whether it's right to do it with two men back, it's up to them to make that decision."