Cricket: Hopeful Harry

Chris Harris believes he can still get to the 2007 World Cup.

Chris Harris is welcoming, rather than resenting, the massive challenge he faces to realise his cricketing dream.

Laid up at home with a surgically-repaired right shoulder, the veteran New Zealand all-rounder is expected to be out of action for the next six months, even allowing for what he calls his "fast-healing" tendencies.

Although the hiatus will largely correspond with a four-month break in New Zealand's playing schedule, the setback comes at a difficult time for the 35-year-old - who still dreams of playing in a world cup-winning side.

Harris, with 250 ODI caps to his name, has targeted the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa in September and October respectively for his comeback, and is hoping that the extended lay-off will not count against him.

Part of his anxiety stems from the new-found growth in the side under the auspices of coach John Bracewell, a dynamic he says has given the present ODI squad an edge over any other in which he's played.

"The squad's very confident, the players have confidence in each other - which is very important - and there's lots of competition for places," Harris said this week.

"Younger players have emerged and put the pressure on, and that's had a positive spin-off on everyone else.

"These days when we head into a match, we're picking a side to suit the conditions on the day. It wasn't that long ago when we would have just settled for eleven capable players."

The most successful ODI side in the world this year, the Bracewell-shaped New Zealand team have won 18 of their past 21 matches, including four series triumphs and the NatWest Triangular title in England.

Harris said it was fair to suggest that the present players had been energised by the success and now carried a heightened sense of self-belief in regard to their chances at the 2007 World Cup.

New Zealand have performed reasonably well in past tournaments without ever landing the big prize, ending as beaten semifinalists in 1975, 1979, 1992 and 1999.

Harris played his first World Cup in 1992, when New Zealand went agonisingly close to upsetting Pakistan in the semifinal in Auckland, and believes it's only a matter of time before the team go one better.

"New Zealand have generally performed well at the tournament, but just haven't gone that extra step," he said.

"But I don't think we're that far away, and I think that's why I'll always see the World Cup as an amazing opportunity; definitely something to get excited about."

As the elder statesman of the ODI squad, he said he could relate first-hand to the extra productivity generated from having a rival player constantly pressing for inclusion in the side.

From a personal perspective, he said he was acutely aware that there were players on the sideline who could step into the team straight away against any opponent, and of the extra edge provided as a result.

"Everyone obviously wants to retain their spot, and if they're being pushed a bit harder by the non-players, then it's that much better for everyone, and especially the team as a whole," he said.

"We're gaining a belief that we can win from any situation, and I think that was highlighted during the Chappell-Hadlee series in Australia when we won at Melbourne and pushed hard at Sydney.

"We've far more depth than in previous years, and more flexibility as a result. That's one of the biggest reasons behind our success."

Harris said he could sense that the team was evolving quickly at the moment, and he was desperate to be on board when they broke through the "nearly" barrier, and emulated the deeds of India and Sri Lanka, who won the World Cup in 1983 and 1996, respectively.

He didn't believe that a side with himself, Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle would prove too long in the tooth in 2007, and that experience was always a key factor at World Cup level.

"The side has a nucleus of senior players that is developing and growing, and the bigger that group the better it is for the entire squad, you only have to look at Australia to see that.

"It's true, there's some vast experience in the side now but there's also some younger guys who have become seasoned in their own right - people like Jacob Oram and Scott Styris who are closing in on 100 ODIs.

"That's the sort of thing that could make the difference when 2007 rolls around."

As for the abandonment of the Sri Lankan tour, Harris said he felt "pathetic" even talking about his shoulder injury while a tragedy of such magnitude had affected so many people.

A survivor of bomb blasts while touring in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he said the scale of the Boxing Day tsunami disaster had left him numb, and unable to comprehend what the Sri Lankan people must be going through.

"It's just a horrific situation for the Sri Lankans.

"We've experienced trauma on a significantly smaller scale but I can't begin to imagine what they must be going through right now.

"It's an incredibly emotional time for them and we can only pass on our sympathy over their plight, and do whatever we can to help and support."