Daily Telegraph attacking the short ball

Thanks to Mr. Eugenides for bringing this to my attention. Harsh words indeed from Michael Henderson at the Daily Telegraph.

"Their bowling, until Graham Onions and Stuart Broad clawed back a bit of ground after tea, was abysmal. It should surprise nobody that the worst offender was Steve Harmison, who Ponting dismissed as a duke might dismiss a guttersnipe. Even Harmison must know by now that the Australia captain is one of the finest pullers the game has known. Surely he was watching in the morning when Stuart Clark, running in from the Kirkstall Lane End that he favoured later, reaped a significant reward by pitching the ball up. Yet here he was – again – serving up unspeakable filth. Tripe and Onions, you might say: a most unappetising dish from the land of the Prince-Bishops. Here he was – again – standing in the middle of the pitch, looking aggrieved, as he found out – again – that good batsmen tend to cart short-pitched balls to the pickets. He was not alone. James Anderson had a poor day, and it took Onions some time to thicken the sauce, but Harmison's indulgence beggared belief – again. Matt Prior wasn't the only man to suffer a bad back on Friday. Many an England captain has done himself an injury, bending over backwards to accommodate Harmison, and as of today Andrew Strauss can wear the club tie with pride. But what did people expect of this wastrel? His record as a fast bowler who is reluctant to exploit his talents is not exactly a mystery."

Say what you think why don't you? Can't deny though, the man has a point.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/5991501/The-Ashes-Steve-Harmison-comes-up-short-as-Australia-punish-England.html