The paceman enjoyed tremendous success in the West Indies in 2004 when he took 7-12 in Kingston but almost five years on he has slipped from No 1 in the ICC's Test rankings to 31st and at the age of 30 is at a point in his career when he must deliver.
For my money, he has to perform in the Caribbean if he is to play in this year's Ashes against Australia because I think this summer's pitches are going to be pretty sluggish and batsmen-friendly as the ECB will be terrified of losing revenue through matches that finish early.
There is a natural watershed after the Ashes and if the coming months don't go well for Steve Harmison the curtain will fall on him.
In his defence, Harmison bowled beautifully for Durham last season and at times did the same for England and he was encouraged enough by his own performances to rescind his decision to retire from one-day international cricket.
But clearly he wasn't on song on the recent tour of India and was dropped after December's Test in Chennai so once again he finds himself battling for recognition.
I was surprised to hear Andrew Strauss say that off the pitch Harmison can be a "shoulder to cry on for some of the younger players". Yes, he's an established senior player but he isn't an automatic selection for the team - he should concentrate on that.
The new skipper has made it clear that he wants the players to think for themselves a bit more and I agree with that. Experienced individuals in the squad should recognise how best to prepare themselves for the series and reap the rewards
For my money, he has to perform in the Caribbean if he is to play in this year's Ashes against Australia because I think this summer's pitches are going to be pretty sluggish and batsmen-friendly as the ECB will be terrified of losing revenue through matches that finish early.
There is a natural watershed after the Ashes and if the coming months don't go well for Steve Harmison the curtain will fall on him.
In his defence, Harmison bowled beautifully for Durham last season and at times did the same for England and he was encouraged enough by his own performances to rescind his decision to retire from one-day international cricket.
But clearly he wasn't on song on the recent tour of India and was dropped after December's Test in Chennai so once again he finds himself battling for recognition.
I was surprised to hear Andrew Strauss say that off the pitch Harmison can be a "shoulder to cry on for some of the younger players". Yes, he's an established senior player but he isn't an automatic selection for the team - he should concentrate on that.
The new skipper has made it clear that he wants the players to think for themselves a bit more and I agree with that. Experienced individuals in the squad should recognise how best to prepare themselves for the series and reap the rewards
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