da brwin： The Australians must have been waiting for table service at Newlands,where they failed to handle what Harris dished up in a Man-of-the-Match performance that earned him his best match figures of 9 for 161
da apostebet： Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town22-Mar-2009
Australia failed to handle what Paul Harris dished up on the fourth day © AFP
It was less than a year ago that Paul Harris was described by GeoffBoycott as a buffet bowler because “you just help yourself”. TheAustralians must have been waiting for table service at Newlands,where they failed to handle what Harris dished up in aMan-of-the-Match performance that earned him his best match figures of9 for 161.It’s a mark of a quality spinner to thrive in unhelpful conditions andon a surface where things could have gone badly wrong for Harris, heinvented ways to be threatening. His second-innings return of 6 for127 was even more impressive considering the comments of Australia’scaptain Ricky Ponting, who said that Harris might have turned a coupleout of the rough to the left-handers but against the right-handersbarely spun a ball.A tall man at 196 centimetres (6 foot 5), Harris looks like he shouldbe ambling in off the long run and sending down Jacques Kallis-likeseamers. His seemingly innocuous style and his habit of makingself-deprecating comments about picking up wickets only becausebatsmen try to slog him add up to create an image of a gentle giant, ajoker who perhaps feels he doesn’t belong at Test level.Nothing could be further from the truth. Harris is a fierce competitorand it was on display on the final day in Cape Town, where he had averbal clash with Michael Clarke, a man he has dismissed four times inthe past three months. He didn’t end up getting Clarke’s wicket but hedid ensure that things didn’t stagnate as Australia’s middle orderbegan to make steady progress.”Boys will be boys out on a cricket field,” Harris said. “You say afew words and it gets a bit heated every now and again. Clarkey playsthe game hard and I play the game hard, and that’s why we have goodTest matches against Australia. I have no ill feelings towardsClarkey. He’s a hell of a cricketer and a nice bloke. It’s just thefact that we both play hard cricket and we both played hard today.”As well as being tough with his words, Harris is a smart bowler.Whereas Australia’s various spinners over the past six Tests havebattled to have any real impact, he has picked up 24 wickets at 32.58and has been an under-rated part of South Africa’s attack. He hasfound ways to affect matches and at Newlands, on a flat pitch, heconstantly drifted the ball into the pads and altered his speed andlength.He’s the kind of bowler who can be carted over the boundary for 26 inan over by Mitchell Johnson, as he was in Johannesburg, yet retain theconfidence to toss the ball up. It takes a brave and skilled spinnerto do that and get away with it. It also takes a tough man to shakeoff the harsh criticism that Harris received in England last year,from Boycott and others, and become a stronger Test player.”I dreamt about [this kind of match] but whether or not I thought itwould happen, I don’t know,” Harris said. “It’s an interestingquestion. I’m just happy that it’s come full circle. I know I’vealready said it’s my favourite ground but I’ll say it again, it’s myfavourite ground in the world. To come back here and play in front ofmy folks and my wife, it’s been a great day.”The last three months, I’ve probably bowled the best I’ve bowled inmy career so far. To play under guys like Graeme [Smith], and Jacques[Kallis] in this Test match, it’s a dream for every boy growing up toplay with these guys. I’m living a dream and I hope it carries on fora long time.”Harris has long since shrugged off the criticism from Boycott butthere is a lingering resentment. When asked if he had a message forBoycott, who was in the Cape Town crowd to watch Harris’ career-bestperformance, he couldn’t resist a dig.”Look, everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Harris said. “I thinkhe gets a bit personal sometimes. That’s his way of doing things.No-one ever stands up to the guy. I recently stood up to him in thepress and said what I think of him, so it’s not a secret. I respecthim as a cricketer but I don’t think I respect him too much as abloke.”Harris, on the other hand, is winning respect for his on-fieldefforts. The buffet is officially closed.