Headingley is a very difficult place to bowl if you haven’t bowled there: Steve Harmison

Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison has revealed why it is really tough for pace bowlers to bowl at Headingley. Harmison reckons that if a bowler has not bowled at Headingley before, then he can experience a few challenges when he is running in.

Elaborating further, Harmison said that if a bowler runs up the hill, then he can get the feeling that he never really gets to the crease, and tends to drag the ball short.

Also, if a bowler is running down the hill, then the bowler might get the feeling that he is always a step ahead of his normal rhythm, and can once again drag the ball down as well.

“Headingley is a very difficult place to bowl if you haven’t bowled there. That is because you can run up the hill, and feel as if you never quite get to the crease, and you drag it down, and you bowl too short. On the other hand, you can run down the hill, feel as if you are always half a step ahead of where your rhythm normally is, and you tend to drag it down,” said Harmison according to ESPN Cricinfo.

Experience counts while bowling at Headingley: Steve Harmison

The 42-year-old Harmison further added that experience plays an important role for a bowler when he is running in at Headingley. Stating that the likes of Mohammed Shami, James Anderson, and Ollie Robinson have played at Headingley before, Harmison reckons that these bowlers have hit the fuller length and have experienced success.

Harmison concluded by stating that Mohammed Shami showed that if the ball is pitched up, then it can cause some problems to the willow wielders on the Headingley pitch.

“You can see the experience counts. The guys who have played here a lot before, Shami for India, who I think has been the pick of the bowlers from India’s point of view, Anderson from England, Robinson, it is his home ground are used to bowling up and down that slope, hitting that fuller length, because they are the ones that have broken the stumps.

I think that is why India have possibly bowled too short. And, Shami showed that if you pitch the ball up, then you can cause a few problems,” concluded Harmison. At the end of Day 2, the England scorecard reads 423/8, and they lead the Indian side by 345 runs in the first innings.