WITH two more years on his contract after the current season, Durham are hoping a shorter run-up will help them to extract maximum benefit from Steve Harmison.

He operated off his new run-up for the first time in the innings win at Worcester and was delighted with the way it went as he took seven wickets in the match.

“When Geoff Cook suggested it, he said it could put years on my career,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure about it at first, but I’ve worked on it and feel comfortable with it.

“I feel it helps me to stay taller at the crease and it worked a treat in this match.”

After missing the end of last season with an ankle problem, then bowling only three overs with a fractured forearm in the opening match this year, this was the first time Harmison had bowled injury-free for the first team for nine months.

“After making them follow on we were in the field a long time and I’ve come out it with a stiff side, but I’ve got three days’ rest and I’ll be fine for the next match at Edgbaston,”

he said.

“No disrespect to the team, but Worcester was the perfect comeback for me in terms of the opposition and the pitch, and I’m happy with the way it went.”

Cook added: “Steve got in 30-plus overs in the game, which will stand him in good stead. He’s still a top-class bowler and the shorter run will conserve energy and help his accuracy.

“We talked about it on our pre-season trip to Dubai. He wasn’t keen, but I asked him to work on it. If it improves his accuracy it all helps in terms of not wasting energy.

“This was an excellent effort by the team. Worcestershire are bottom, but they had been competitive in all their other games and to get into a commanding position was a reflection of how well we played.

“We often say if we can get four of the top seven operating well we are going to post a good total. We did that and with Scott Borthwick at eight it gives us even more depth.”

Borthwick took two wickets in two balls in the day’s fourth over on Saturday and Durham needed only 55 minutes to wrap up victory by an innings and 25 runs.

Gareth Andrew pulled the leg-spinner for six then drove him to long-on to reach 50, but he pulled the next ball straight to Ben Stokes at deep mid-wicket.

Damien Wright then offered a simple return catch and when Richard Jones was run out for a duck it seemed it would be all over even more quickly.

But Alan Richardson helped wicketkeeper Ben Scott to add 54 for the ninth wicket, with Scott repeatedly cutting Harmison to the boundary on his way to 73.

Harmison conceded 35 runs in 5.3 overs before he had Scott caught at third slip by Stokes and Worcestershire were all out for 345.