The Buzz

Harmison's football rage gets 12-match ban

Steve Harmison was regarded as too mild mannered as a cricketer but football managership seems to have sorted that out

Steve Harmison poses by the Angel of the North, Gateshead, February 22, 2013

Steve Harmison: no longer a candidate as Angel of the North  •  Getty Images

Steve Harmison, a mild-mannered England fast bowler turned non-League football manager, has been given a 12-match ban following a confrontation with a referee.
Harmison took charge of Northern League side Ashington - the famous footballing home of Jack and Bobby Charlton - just over a year ago, staved off relegation and has guided them into mid-table this time around.
But the Northumberland FA have come down heavily on him after he allegedly raged at the referee when his striker Andrew Bulford was dismissed during a 1-0 defeat against Bishop Auckland.
Harmison, who played his last Test at The Oval in 2009 and shared in England's Ashes-winning series, was quoted upon taking the job as saying: "I was never a shouter as a player - the moment you lose your temper then you lose control."
Harmison is on holiday with his family in Jamaica, where his pulse rate can be assumed to be falling steadily, and is expected to appeal against the severity of the ban.