From the Ashes is a series of features and podcasts which dig deeper into stories from cricket’s fiercest and most legendary Test series. Full interviews can be found on BBC Sounds, building up to ball-by-ball coverage of the first Test between Australia and England in Perth on 21 November.
Not sidekicks. That would be disrespectful. The number twos – those who make the stars shine that little bit brighter.
Brian Clough had Peter Taylor. Elton John had Bernie Taupin. Elsa had Anna.
Mitchell Johnson, the moustachioed menace who destroyed England at the speed of light, had Ryan Harris.
The 2013-14 Ashes, when England were humiliated 5-0, will forever belong to Johnson. The left-armer was pure pyrotechnics, battering stumps, pads and helmets, for his 37 wickets. At the other end, new-ball partner Harris was every inch his ‘Rhino’ nickname – rampaging and relentless.
It was Johnson who walked away as an Ashes legend, but Harris who produced
, a physics-defying in-outer to bowl England captain Alastair Cook. Kevin Pietersen called Harris the best Australian seamer he ever faced, and KP took on Johnson, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee.
There were plenty of reasons why Harris might never have pulled on a baggy green cap.
His father was born in Leicester, meaning Harris could have played for England. An attempt to spend time with Sussex as a local player in 2008 was aborted. Before then, a younger Harris who liked “drinking beers” was let go by South Australia, only to regain his state contract as a first reserve when another player rejected theirs.
With a second chance, Harris realised he could add some pace to his bowling, and a move to Queensland helped fulfil his potential. Still, a troublesome right knee, a hangover of schoolboy injuries sustained fielding and playing Aussie rules, would plague and ultimately end his career.
Read the full article at: BBC Sport
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