Steve Harmison has staunchly defended England’s cricket stars following suggestion from critics that they play too much golf on tour.
After a pretty shambolic white-ball visit to India, in which the tourists lost six out of seven, their methods and training were called into question.
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen felt the team weren’t training long enough, while Indian legend Ravi Shastri claimed that Joe Root was the only player to complete a net session.
New white-ball coach Brendon McCullum emphatically dismissed those claims, but it’s no secret the England cricket team like playing golf.
It has become something that many tarnish the side with, but England bowling icon Harmison is happy they have some form of release from the pressure of playing international cricket.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT’s Cricket’s YouTube channel, he said: “I was invited up to see Mark Wood, and there was the golfers and then the lads who didn’t play.
“When you come to a place like India or Pakistan, where you are in a confined space, and you can’t go out because you get mobbed, you need a release.
“I sat there for three or four hours with some lads who were enjoying themselves with a game of cards or pool, but I came away thinking, I am so pleased this team have got golf.
“You’ve got to have a release. They are human beings, and the human element of being on tour is not as simple as sitting in a hotel room and staring at four walls because you will go mad.
“So, the release of a fun environment when you are away from the game is so important, so the golf brush they get hammered with, I don’t think that is fair.
“People have got to look beyond that because when you are on tour, days off can be torturous.”
This is a change in direction from the usual criticism aimed at England’s cricketers.
The perception from many is that training and actual results are being sacrificed for a few rounds of 18 holes.
But McCullum insists that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT after the third ODI against India, the New Zealander hit back at criticism of England’s training.
He remarked: “The whole statement that we don’t train is factually incorrect. We’ve trained plenty right throughout.
“It’s an easy throwaway line to say that the guys aren’t training hard enough when results aren’t right.
“Ultimately, it’s factually incorrect what has been said, and we disagree with it.”
The start to the McCullum white-ball era couldn’t have been much worse, though India are a magnificent team.
Clearly, there is tension among some ex-players and the current squad over the approach.
But Harmison is correct in saying that these finely-tuned athletes need some form of release.
All eyes will now be on the Champions Trophy, starting next week, to see if England can get the balance right and put this golf criticism to the back of everyone’s minds.
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