Slip-sliding Harris has an ace up his sleeve

For the right-handers, Harris sees the new delivery in his arsenal as a potential to get a bat-pad appeal. 8220;Now let8217;s keep a short-leg and silly-point and see,8221; he tells Peterson. Harris bowled at all the four sets of three batsmen each in the nets on Tuesday, going around the wicket and targetting their off-stump.

8220;Get the arm straight, like this,8221; Mark Boucher says, demonstrating the straighter one, 8220;this is how Harbhajan gets it.8221; The wicket-keeper has always been the one to coax his bowlers to keep trying something new, and Harris has taken up his challenge very seriously. Harris is keen on putting the slider, which he has been developing for some time now, to good use against India.

But the Test at Chennai was not much fun for him. Harris picked up three wickets for 203 runs, and came under heavy criticism for bowling a negative line in his bid to curb India8217;s onslaught.

Harris eagerly studied the wicket in Ahmedabad, walking the entire length to try and see what help it would offer him. He was satisfied that might give him some bounce 8212; always handy since he8217;s a tall man.

It was due to his height that Harris was coaxed by his school mates to bowl medium-pace before he realised he was not muscular enough to be too quick and decided to spin instead.

Coach Mickey Arthur has high praise for Harris. 8220;I think he8217;s the most under-rated finger-spinner in world cricket.

8220;We have a balanced attack of pace and spin, and Harris is definitely one of our main bowlers,8221; he says.