Paul Harris has mixed memories of his time at Edgbaston.
Plucked from the relative obscurity of Fleetwood Cricket Club, a Lancashire club in the Northern League, in 2006, South Africa’s left-arm orthodox spin bowler responded with a series of match-winning performances that played a prominent role in Warwickshire avoiding relegation in the County Championship.
His return in 2007 was less successful. He struggled with fitness, took four championship wickets at 85 apiece and was powerless to prevent Warwickshire’s inexorable slide into Division Two.
Yet he returns to the ground as one of four men in the South African squad (Monde Zondeki, Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn are the others) to have filled the role of overseas player for Warwickshire, with his enthusiasm for ground and club as high as ever. Indeed, he remains keen for another spell at the club.
“I have a lot of friends here and a lot of good memories,” Harris said. “It’s great to be back.
“The two seasons I spent here were very different in lots of ways but I still enjoyed them both - 2006 was a hot summer and the ball turned a lot. I wouldn’t like to say I kept the side up, but I’d like to think I played a part. Last year was the opposite. It was wet, I hardly bowled in the second innings of matches and some of our games were over in three days.
“Then I had to leave early to go on a South Africa A tour and the club had a bit of a tough time. I kept an eye on things all the time. I have good friends at the club and it wasn’t good to see.
“I think things had deteriorated in 2006, to be honest. What happened in 2007 was just a repercussion of that. Mark [Greatbatch, the club’s then-director of cricket] was fine with me. I had no issue with him at all but the way he dealt with things just wasn’t right.
"Everyone reacts to pressure differently but his response was quite aggressive. He was very ‘in your face’ and although that might work for some people, it doesn’t work for a lot more.I’m sure it’s been well-documented but the way Dougie Brown was treated just shouldn’t happen. You just don’t treat a guy who has given a club that level of service in such a way. Certain players were badly handled and the situation wasn’t great.
“Still, I went to a barbecue at Jonathan Trott’s house. He and Neil Carter told me things are much better now and that’s great to hear.
“I’d love to come back at some stage. I love the club, the set-up and the people and I had a great time here. I’d really like to work with [director of cricket] Ashley Giles, too. We’ve been compared quite a bit and I think we’ve performed similar roles for our sides.”
That role is often an unglamorous one. Giles and Harris have often been required to bowl on unhelpful pitches with a view to keeping a brake on the scoring and allowing the seamers to rest.
As a result, both have sometimes been underestimated. Harris, whose Test bowling average (32) is actually almost identical to England spinner Monty Panesar’s, appears quite unconcerned by the negative comments he has received from some portions of the British media.
“I’m not too bothered by the views of a few of the English commentators,” Harris said. “My stats are pretty good and lots of these guys haven’t seen what I can do yet.
“The series hasn’t really kicked off yet as far as I’m concerned. There has not been much help in the pitches [for the spinners]. It could be quite different here. I’m looking forward to playing a greater role.”
If Harris were to return to Warwickshire, it would probably have to be as an overseas player. The days of Kolpak registrations are surely coming to an end, though Harris thinks that might prove to be a mistake.
“I do think it would be a mistake to close the Kolpak route completely,” he said. “My own view is that the right Kolpak signings can strengthen the counties but it has been over-used.
“Even I’d admit that there probably are too many South Africans playing over here.”
* Paul Harris and his South Africa team-mates were visiting the New Street Puma concept store to promote the new cricket shoe range, www.puma.com
