Steve Harmison: Alec Stewart hails England's 2005 Ashes winn

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In 2006, I was asked to pick the best England team from the players I had seen or played with, and my decision to name Steve Harmison in my final XI raised a few eyebrows.

But I stand by my selection because when Harmison was in his prime there were very few that could handle him.

The man from Ashington, who announced his retirement on Sunday, had great pace, excessive bounce and was a game-changing wicket-taker.
When he was first drafted into the England set-up in 2002, facing him in the nets was a tough challenge that at times was not the most enjoyable experience. Many of the batsmen, me included, would do our best to avoid it but I think coach Duncan Fletcher quite enjoyed watching the contests unfold.

A natural athlete with similar attributes to the West Indies great Courtney Walsh, Harmison could unsettle any batsman at any stage of his innings. He could also be difficult to keep wicket to because of the way he would make the ball wobble once it had had flown past the stumps.

I remember one ball at the Waca in Perth which looked to be coming to me at about waist height. I got into position to take it but before I knew it I had taken a blow flush on the left shoulder. You try to take these things like a man and not show any signs of pain but it wasn't easy.

When Harmison first started he could be a bit erratic. He bowled some great spells but was also capable of wayward deliveries that would let a batsman off the hook. Being so tall, with such long levers, is a great asset, but it also means any error is also exaggerated.