Cricket in the blood at U/19 CWC

Ben Harmison, younger brother of England full international Steve, joined up with England's U/19 squad in Bangladesh yesterday as a replacement for injured all-rounder Mark Turner.

England team manager John Abrahams explained that the younger sibling is not a carbon-copy of the Durham fast bowler.

"Ben looks very similar to Steve but he will come into our squad as a batsman who bowls rather that a bowler who bats," said Abrahams.

"He bowls in a similar style to Steve but without the pace or bounce as he is only young and he has concentrated far more on his batting.

"We will give him a few days to acclimatise and then he will be available for our matches in the second stage."

Harmison junior is not the only player at the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup with a good cricking pedigree.

Zimbabwe's Craig Ervine is a sibling of Sean - who played in two U/19 tournaments and is now a regular in the national side. Ervine's father also represented Zimbabwe at cricket.

You have to go a little further back to trace New Zealander Matthew Short's cricketing roots - Short's great-grandfather was also a Black Cap. The father and uncle of Canada's Keshvani brothers both played international cricket for Kenya.

There are also two players in Bangladesh with cousins currently representing their national teams. Kirk Edwards is related to the promising West Indies fast bowler Fidel and Prosper Utseya will be hoping to join his cousin Stewart Matsikenyeri in the Zimbabwe national team before too long.

Jon Long
ICC Event Media Manager
In Bangladesh: 01750 17668
International: +44 (0) 7946 545 090
Email: jon.long@icc-cricket.com