BATTLING DEPRESSION

There was an agenda from the ECB hierarchy to embarrass KP: Harmison

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

"What was the point of sacking Kevin in such a public manner? There was no need at all." © Getty

Former England pacer Steve Harmison, in a startling revelation, has mentioned in his autobiography 'Speed Demons' that he had to fight mental illness despite being at the peak of his powers. The 38-year-old has also opened about the treatment meted out to his former teammates Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff apart from touching upon several other topics. Daily Mirror has been serialising the contents of the autobiography.

On how Flintoff was treated after the pedalo incident

As Fred felt the pressure, it suited people in the England hierarchy for him to be seen as having lost all sense of responsibility. It suited the narrative that he wasn't behaving in a manner suited to being England captain. It just got worse and worse for Fred, culminating in the pedalo incident in St Lucia during the 2007 World Cup, where he was vice-captain.

The management decided they wanted to make a very public example of Fred by parading him in front of the media. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He'd been deliberately isolated, positioned there for maximum humiliation. I was embarrassed to be an England cricketer when I saw that. There's my best mate, the best cricketer England had seen for 25 years, made to feel an inch high. It was disgraceful.

On Pietersen's exit

What was the point of sacking Kevin in such a public manner? There was no need at all. They should just have told him, "Go and play in the Indian Premier League and if a spot comes back in the England team, and you're making runs, we'll pick you. If not, we're probably not going to pick you again."

There was an agenda from the ECB hierarchy to embarrass him, to ridicule him, but that made the whole thing worse. Perhaps they've learned their lesson.

Ben Stokes is a good example. They could easily have hung him out to dry for some of the things he's done - punching lockers, getting sent home for being drunk but they've identified him as they best we've got and worked with him. England cannot afford to drive its best players away. How it ended with KP was sour.

On Trott's illness

When it comes to Jonathan Trott's illness, it's not that I question it, but I'd like to know deep down what the problem is. The statements he's made, the things he's said, the language he's used, makes me wonder if he just pulled the ladder up because the game got too hard.

When he came back early from Australia after being bombarded by Mitchell Johnson and used the word 'nutcase' while talking about what had happened, I found that puzzling. Someone who has mental health problems doesn't use that terminology.

When I saw Trott interviewed after coming home, I thought, 'Wow, he's not poorly, he's weak.' He was describing someone who was mentally not very strong. The words he was using and the way he was describing it made me think he just didn't fancy it.

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