Wide Of The Mark...

...Middle stump is not necessarily the pace bowler's 'bullseye', as it were, when taking aim. True enough such a ball speeding unerringly down the middle, over upon over, would be more than sufficient eventually to demolish the amateur player, but a professional batsman would not find such directness anything of a challenge - even should the length of delivery vary - and would not be deterred from endless run-making strokes with the occasional forward or backward defensive play as required.

The fast bowler must therefore be able to hit middle stump in his sleep and yet on the day opt to place the ball a little wide of the stumps - to the on and to the off - with the intention of keeping the batsman both on and off his toes. Add some aggressive pacey short balls that rear into the face of the fellow, a couple of yorkers to threaten his feet, the ability to swing and, with luck, reverse swing and you have the makings of decent seamer.

That then in essence is the theory: keep 'em guessing and keep 'em anxious if not downright terrified.

What then is one to make of Steve Harmison's first ball of the new Ashes series at the stroke of midnight last night, so wide of the mark as to sail into the - thankfully - waiting hands of Capt'n Flintoff at second slip? (The norm for second slip is to be watching the batsman and not the bowler, alert for that wicket-losing snick. Had our Freddie been thus engrossed he could have been felled by his own man rendering him incapable for the day or the match or the series even!)

Had it been another player one might have thought "Oh, what a hoot, what an unexpected fluke, something for the 'What happened next?' archive on that nice Miss Barker's sporting quiz show." Not sadly in this case. Harmison's confidence is known to be fragile and what was noted at the time as probably the worst wide ever seen in Test cricket proved to be a portent of and a prelude to the entire day: England all over the place and the Australians in charge throughout. One fears in equal and consequent measure for Harmison's sanity and the Ashes' destination.

In years to come there will be too many, surely, who will be able to answer with accurate recall the question "So where were you when Harmison bowled that wide to end all wides and, with it, our hopes of retaining the Ashes?"