Harmison Committed To England

Harmison - in it for the long-haul.

Steve Harmison has confirmed his total commitment to England after helping push the one-day side to the verge of one-day glory over South Africa.

Durham fast bowler Harmison plays his third match since reversing his limited-overs retirement at The Brit Oval on Friday, one that would rubber-stamp NatWest Series success should it end in victory.

The 29-year-old was coaxed back on the eve of the campaign and has now declared himself available for all England matches.

The end of his self-imposed exile, however, does leave the tricky matter of whether he will play in the cash-rich Stanford contest in Antigua on November 1, in which players on the winning side will pick up £500,000 each.

"It is awkward," said Harmison, of a situation not of his initial making. "I have said to the captain and the coach what my feelings are and I don't really want to say them in public.

"At the end of the day I was looking more long-term in the winter and getting ready for the Test series.

"I didn't envisage coming back to play in this series, which makes it awkward, but that is a bit down the line. If I am picked for that game there is not much I can do about it.

"At the moment we have three games to win and if we do win that will be important for this England team as we head to Antigua and into the winter.

"I am available from now to play every one-day international and Twenty20 for England."

New captain Kevin Pietersen initially asked Harmison to renege on the limited-overs decision he took during the Ashes tour of 2006-07 as England finished the Test series with a consolation win earlier this month.

Although that request was declined, he was asked again on the day England were supposed to take on South Africa in a Twenty20 contest at the Riverside, in a chat with Pietersen and coach Peter Moores, and for a decisive third time when Ryan Sidebottom was ruled out with injury before the first match.

"I did have eyes on playing one-day cricket but I obviously wasn't quite there," recalled Harmison. "Then I got a phone call when I was putting the kids to bed at two o'clock on the Thursday; I could still hear the lads in the nets."

Having scrapped his way back to international contention with Durham, following his high-profile omission in New Zealand, he does not want to relinquish his place lightly and came to his decision following consultation with his wife, Hayley, and Durham duo Geoff Cook and Dale Benkenstein.

"Missing those eight Test matches was flipping hard work," Harmison said. "It was something I didn't want to happen again.

"Both Peter Moores and Kev told me to come back and play, 'we need somebody, we need a favour, will you come and bowl?'

"I said I would come and play until the end of the series and see what happens then. And I've enjoyed it."

Harmison has been open about his homesickness while on England duty abroad but has opted to be available for full tours rather than have to prove his fitness with first-class cricket elsewhere - as he did with South African franchise the Lions last year.

"The family reasons were not the only reason I packed in," said Harmison. "It was one of the main reasons but it wasn't the whole thing.

"I packed it in for cricketing reasons - I wasn't bowling very well, and was not enjoying my cricket.

"The family thing didn't help but the family is a lot more stable now: I have four kids and I don't envisage having any more.

"At the end of the day it is two months away but I would be two months away anyway because I would have to go to South Africa, and then on to play the Test matches.

"I might as well do the bowling in the one-day series and be a part of what I've missed.

"Going away to South Africa to play four-day matches to get ready for the Test match, or playing one-day cricket for England, was really a no-brainer."

Harmison, who admits his head was as erratic as his form at the time of his decision to quit England's coloured clothing, has performed consistently in all forms of cricket for Durham this summer.

Having grooved his action and got miles into his legs, his return has been impressive, with four Test wickets at The Oval followed by as many one-day victims, despite only bowling one over in South Africa's paltry 83 all out on Tuesday.

"This period out of the spotlight has probably been the best thing for me because I have bowled a lot of overs this year," he said.

No changes are expected to a side that effected only a third England 10-wicket victory in one-day history on Tuesday, and one which needs to win only once more to seal the series.