Cricket: Harmison determined to fight for his place.

Byline: BY RICHARD GIBSON In Colombo

STEVE HARMISON has vowed to scrap for his England shirt, after finally getting his chance to stake a claim to end a five-month Test absence.

His first spell, delayed by a missing kit-bag, proved expensive as the Sri Lanka Cricket Board President's XI stacked up 500 for five declared at Colombo Cricket Club yesterday.

Although he and bowling coach Ottis Gibson arrived on Tuesday, the most crucial part of Harmison's luggage did not because of a computer failure in Dubai - which meant he did not have any bowling boots when play began on the second day of the opening tour match.

They were eventually delivered to the Colombo Cricket Club - after being held up in transit from South Africa - in mid-afternoon.

"When we landed I thought it was a wind-up, because the only bag that didn't come off was the cricket bag - and we had seven bags between us," said Harmison.

Within minutes of tour manager Phil Neale handing over the boots in question, Harmison began a spell of 6-0-48-0 - which stretched either side of tea and was made costly by overstepping on half-adozen occasions.

Diminutive wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva's love of pulling short-of-a-length deliveries was also costly.

Before 2.30pm, Harmison was restricted to bowling in the indoor nets between fielding stints.

"What will be will be," the 29-year-old later reasoned, assessing his prospects of forcing his way into the team for the first Test in Kandy a week on Saturday.

"I have come across here to fight for my place.

"I have not got the shirt - it was June when I last played, and people have got the England shirt on.

"All I can do is fight. I am not going to tell lies - if it is good enough and I amready I will be playing on December 1; if it's not then the people who have earned the place will keep their place in the side.

"I just wanted the chance to go to South Africa and prove to everybody I want to play for England.

"There are a lot of people who have doubted me - but all I want to do is play for England, whether it is home or abroad. I can't say anything other than that."

Wickets once again proved hard to come by on a benign surface - and Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera and Thilina Kandamby all cashed in with hundreds.

The President's XI then called it a day, moments before rain brought a premature end to play for the second time in 24 hours.

With wet weather predicted for the next fortnight, England's attack at least got the chance to get overs under the belt and work out the feasibility of swinging the ball - both new and old.

"If you bowl them out for very little you are under-prepared; if they are 450 for five then you're looking on the back side of it," said Harmison.

"We have to experiment with that ball in these warm-up games; how we get that ball to work for us is key.

"We need to get that ball to reverse-swing as quickly as we can. It didn't work, but I would rather experiment in this game than have to do it on the second or third of December when there is something riding on it."

The only breakthrough of a morning session extended by half-an-hour to make up time lost to a stormyesterday was provided by Matthew Hoggard's fifth ball of the day.

The dismissal of left-hander Tharanga, who flashed to gully and was well held by Ravi Bopara, came during an impressive spell of 5-3-4-1 by the Yorkshireman.

Tharanga's 112 was timely indeed, coming only hours after Marvan Atapattu announced his international retirement and with the first Test looming.

His overnight partner and fellow Test discard Kapugedera also celebrated three figures - having ridden his luck just a dozen short when he miscued Monty Panesar to midwicket, where Graeme Swann might have made a better fist of an attempted catch.

Kapugedera, 20, hurried to the landmark in the very next over - and in grand style, with successive slog-sweeps for four and six off Swann.

England toiled to separate Kapugedera and Kandamby but were left frustrated by several appeals for lbw being declined.

They were then absolutely infuriated when Kandamby was given not out, after appearing to edge behind off Stuart Broad.

Eventually the 142-run alliance came to its conclusion when a Swann long-hop was savagely pulled to Owais Shah on the deep midwicket boundary by Kapugedera (141).

But the busy Silva joined in the run-fest with an unbeaten 54.

The Sri Lankan hosts resumed this morning on 218 for three - but despite the provision for extra time, play was held up temporarily after James Anderson was thrown the ball by captain Michael Vaughan.

The umpires stepped in as he was about to begin his run-up, because Anderson had actually bowled the final over of the first day - so left-armspinner Panesar opened up.

There are a lot of people who have doubted me - but all I want to do is play for England, whether it is home or abroad

STEVE HARMISON

CAPTION(S):

Steve Harmison looks dejected as Kaushal Silva piles on the runs