Harmison has the fear factor

Steve Harmison doesn't need a video tape to remind him of the damage he caused in the Caribbean earlier this year. And nor do the West Indies batsmen.

Three months may be a long time in cricket - long enough, indeed, for Brian Lara to reclaim a world record by making 400 in Antigua and lead his side into a one-day final at England's expense.

But when the summer's second npower Test series begins at Lord's tomorrow it will be Harmison and the home team who hold a clear psychological advantage courtesy of events in Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados during March and early April.

The key for England now is to keep it that way.

"We've got to learn from what we did in the West Indies and try to do exactly the same again," said Harmison. "That's get on top straight away, from the first hour if possible.

"I think we caught them on the hop a bit in the Caribbean - I don't believe they were expecting what hit them at Sabina Park and they never really recovered from that.

"I think this series is going to be a lot closer than it was in the West Indies. But we've got a bit of a psychological edge after what happened over there and now we want to start well again, whether it's with bat or ball."

Harmison was simply sensational in the Caribbean, capturing 22 wickets at 11 runs apiece as England forged into a 3-0 lead. And even when Lara ended the series by making 400 on the flattest pitch imaginable, the dynamic force from Durham gave nothing away.

"Sky TV handed me the DVD of the series and it will be great to look at in 10 or 15 years time when I'm finished," said Harmison.

"But now that series is just a nice memory. We've got to forget what happened there and turn up here with the same heads we had on in the West Indies.

"Then hopefully we will do exactly the same again."

Harmison's heroics, particularly his seven for 12 in Jamaica, rightly stole the show - and a five-wicket performance at Lord's this week could be enough to elevate him to No1, ahead of Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, in the world bowling rankings.

The 25-year-old has not rested on his laurels after the Caribbean, either. Another 21 victims were added to the list during the first part of this summer while New Zealand were being whitewashed 3-0.

But, as Harmison is always the first to point out, he has by no means been alone in getting among opposition batsmen this year.

Indeed, England's four-pronged pace attack took it in turns to terrorise the West Indies. Harmison did the old dog licence in Jamaica and Trinidad - seven and six - then Simon Jones finished off the Second Test with a five-wicket haul.

When it came to Barbados, Andrew Flintoff bagged his first five-for before Matthew Hoggard weighed in with a spectacular hattrick.

Now England must make do without Flintoff as a bowler because of his on-going ankle problem. That's a big loss, leaving the side looking less than balanced, but at least it could give Jimmy Anderson a chance to relaunch his Test career.

"I'm not going to make this a batter and bowler thing - but I think the bowlers won the series in the Caribbean," added Harmison.

"And the way we stuck together as a unit and bowled as a unit was very important."

Any team containing Lara has the ability to knock an attack off line and most members of the West Indian batting department have found a bit of form already this tour.

But they are vulnerable when the ball swings or seams.

There have been occasions this year when Harmison has almost made it talk. Now, though, he knows it's time once again for actions to speak louder than words.

England (from): M Trescothick, A Strauss, M Butcher or R Key, M Vaughan (capt), G Thorpe, A Flintoff, G Jones (wkt), A Giles, S Jones, M Hoggard, S Harmison, J Anderson West Indies (probable): C Gayle, Devon Smith, R Sarwan, B Lara (capt), S Chanderpaul, D Bravo, R Jacobs (wkt), O Banks, T Best, P Collins, J Lawson Umpires: R Koertzen (SA), D Harper (Aus) TV replays: N Llong (Eng) Match referee: R Madugalle (SL)

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