Cricket: Harris tells all about 'bomb tour'

By RICHARD BOOCK

Chris Harris' recently-published autobiography has shed some more light on one of the darker and more mysterious episodes in New Zealand cricket.

Written in conjunction with former New Zealand Press Association sports editor David Leggat, The Chris Harris Story is essentially a good-news book concentrating on the happy and the amusing - except for one chapter involving the bomb-stricken tour of Sri Lanka in 1992.

History recalls that a suicide bomber killed himself and five others outside the New Zealand team's hotel on November 15, 1992, but never adequately explained was how New Zealand cricket chief Peter McDermott managed to persuade the side to continue the tour.

After a vote - which for some reason included the wife of manager Leif Dearsley - established that the squad wanted to return home, McDermott flew to Colombo and interviewed the players separately, after which at least three (including Harris) changed their minds.

The chapter, with passages from the coach at that time, Warren Lees, claims McDermott used every means from the emotional to the material to convince enough players to stay, even suggesting to Harris that his recently- deceased father would have wanted him to carry on.

Lees, who sat in on the one-on-one interviews, said McDermott knew he could "get" Ken Rutherford with money and Adam Parore with money and selection security, while playing on Murphy Su'a and Mark Haslam's junior status.

"With Harry, he went about it in a different way, by going for his emotions. He said to Harry: 'What would your father do? He'd turn in his grave if he knew you were thinking of leaving.'"

Harris' father, former New Zealand test cricketer Zin Harris, had died about a year earlier.

Lees claims McDermott told Haslam: "When you were picked I told the selectors you weren't good enough, and if you leave you won't be playing for New Zealand again."

Aside from the Sri Lanka chapter, however, the book represents a clear departure from the mud-slinging memoirs of Harris' predecessors, with hardly a negative comment about anyone from the Early Years and School Days, right through the 1999 World Cup and the tour of England.

Of some his team-mates, Harris said he particularly enjoyed the eccentricity of players like Tony Blain and Andrew Jones, the mateship of John Wright and the perfectionist in Martin Crowe.

Ken Rutherford had not made full use of his talent, but had ironically been dropped at the height of his powers, while Harris named Danny Morrison as the best New Zealand fast bowler he had played with, and one-day expert Chris Pringle as possibly the biggest "character."

On coaches, he believed Lees had the ability to get the best out of his players and was the perfect foil for Crowe. Geoff Howarth was technically astute, and Glenn Turner a master strategist - albeit a touch inflexible in his dealings with players.

Harris suggested Steve Rixon had specific technical weaknesses, but instilled a hard-nosed attitude and confidence into the side while also helping to develop New Zealand into a world-class fielding side.