Cricket: Harris takes 200th ODI wicket

LONDON - Chris Harris darted about the historic Lord's cricket pavilion clutching a bottle of the sponsor's product and sporting a grin rarely seen in the past year.

New Zealand's wicket-taking recordholder at last had reason to smile, after ending a six-match drought with his 200th one-day wicket in his 243rd match.

Not since November, when he removed the great Sachin Tendulkar in Hyderabad, had Harris celebrated a wicket.

So when West Indian Ridley Jacobs was caught by Chris Cairns at deep square leg the bowler struggled to keep his composure.

"I couldn't have asked for a better occasion," said Harris. "If someone said, 'You're going to get it at Lord's and win the match,' I'd take it every time."

Harris joined Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya as the only players to have scored 4000 one-day runs and taken 200 wickets.

He had to wait until the second ball of his 10th over for his wicket, after being a surprise selection ahead of paceman James Franklin, and ended with one for 45.

"It was pretty exciting to get it out of the way so I can move on and not have to worry about it any more," said Harris.

"It was great that he [Cairns] took the catch. That made it more special because I've played a lot of cricket with Cairnsy."

Harris nearly flattened Cairns with a bear hug when he snared the catch and the team rushed from all corners to help him celebrate.

"You don't really deal too much in personal milestones but it's one the team's been very aware of," said captain Stephen Fleming.

"There was a period when what he does perhaps was becoming extinct because we're going for the more specialist roles and he was a bit in limbo.

"He hung in there and he's come back even stronger. His performance in this tournament still provides us with opportunities and options if we get wickets like this."

The question is how much more Harris will play for New Zealand with their glut of allrounders and the rarity of playing on the slow, low wickets that he relishes.

Harris, at 34, still harbours hope of playing at the next World Cup in 2007 and his determination to remain in black is without question.

"I'm always fighting, I'm desperate to play for New Zealand, play well and make some contributions," he said.

"It's something I've done for a long time now. I love doing it, I love the environment and I'm not ready to give up just yet."

West Indies captain Brian Lara said of Harris after the match: "He's been a good servant to New Zealand cricket. Total respect must go out to a player like that."

- NZPA