Cricket: Poor Harry

Chris Harris is the person for whom Mark Twain might have invented that famous phrase - "reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated".

The saying has its origins in newspapers' ability to publish news of a death only to discover the deceased is alive and well. Twain fired off the phrase to the editor of a newspaper after the salutary experience of reading his own obituary.

Cricket is a sport which sometimes sees careers buried prematurely - whether by selection or media indictment - and, after his serious shoulder injury in this week's one-day series against Australia, newspaper keyboards are again tapping out tributes to Harris in anticipation of a career which may have run its course.

But it is Harris' heroic, and ultimately doomed, occupation of the crease in the second one-dayer which may provide the exaggeration to reports of "Harry's" demise. That same courage and determination that took him out to bat with a busted wing is part of what marks Harris as a cricketer, and makes him a member of the Black Caps who is both valued and welcomed by his team-mates - in a sport which often has more than its share of back-biting.

The injury to his bowling shoulder seems serious but it is too early to know if it will end his career. What we do know is the 35-year-old Cantabrian, and New Zealand record wicket-taker, at one-day level has a store of determination that may yet see him achieve his goal of playing for New Zealand at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. But, should Harris' shoulder not support him in his Caribbean quest, this is probably as good a time as any to look back at the career of a cricketer who might yet overcome the obituary writers.

Curiously, Harris' last dice with death, cricket-style, came almost exactly a year ago when he was dropped, after 13 years as a team regular and crowd favourite, for the first one-day international against Pakistan. At that time, coach John Bracewell said Harris needed to improve his batting strike rate. However, skipper Stephen Fleming warned media and fans against assuming Harry's career was over. During the season, Fleming seemed reluctant to bowl him but also surprisingly elevated Harris to No 3 in the batting order.

After he was dropped, Fleming had this to say of Harris: "He's a bubbly personality and that can have a positive effect on this side. As a friend and as a player, we wish Chris well in trying to get back into the team. He's a pretty determined character and I'm sure it is a challenge he will accept."

Asked whether he thought it was the end of Harry's career, Fleming was firm. "Absolutely not. He doesn't think that either. He wants to be at the next World Cup and sometimes a break from the game can be positive. He will certainly have the support of the coaching staff and the side."

The accuracy of these sentiments was proven when Harris - ho had been the subject of 'bring back Harry' signs at cricket grounds around the country - was restored to the side in February for the fifth one-dayer against South Africa in Auckland.

Later in 2004, Harris ended a six-match drought with his 200th wicket in his 243rd match.

His shoulder may be wonky, there is a question mark over Harris' ability to get in the side ahead of other all-rounders and there is a further query over how many of the low, slow pitches on which he thrives are still around, but one thing remains clear:

All of this is qualified by the phrase: "so far". We bury Harry at our peril.