'ball Of The Century? That Was My Job' - Ashes 'rhino' Harris

History has had immoderate awesome supporting characters.

Not sidekicks. That would beryllium disrespectful. The number twos - those who make nan stars radiance that small spot brighter.

Brian Clough had Peter Taylor. Elton John had Bernie Taupin. Elsa had Anna.

Mitchell Johnson, nan moustachioed menace who destroyed England astatine nan velocity of light, had Ryan Harris.

The 2013-14 Ashes, erstwhile England were humiliated 5-0, will everlastingly beryllium to Johnson. The left-armer was axenic pyrotechnics, battering stumps, pads and helmets, for his 37 wickets. At nan different end, new-ball partner Harris was each inch his 'Rhino' nickname - rampaging and relentless.

It was Johnson who walked distant arsenic an Ashes legend, but Harris who produced ESPN Cricinfo's 'ball of nan century', external, a physics-defying in-outer to vessel England skipper Alastair Cook. Kevin Pietersen called Harris nan champion Australian seamer he ever faced, and KP took connected Johnson, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee.

There were plentifulness of reasons why Harris mightiness ne'er person pulled connected a baggy greenish cap.

His begetter was calved successful Leicester, meaning Harris could person played for England. An effort to walk clip pinch Sussex arsenic a section subordinate successful 2008 was aborted. Before then, a younger Harris who liked "drinking beers" was fto spell by South Australia, only to regain his authorities statement arsenic a first reserve erstwhile different subordinate rejected theirs.

With a 2nd chance, Harris realised he could adhd immoderate gait to his bowling, and a move to Queensland helped fulfil his potential. Still, a troublesome correct knee, a hangover of schoolboy injuries sustained fielding and playing Aussie rules, would plague and yet extremity his career.

He did not make his Test debut until nan property of 31 - conscionable earlier an Australia broadside successful modulation was famously humbled 3-1 connected location ungraded successful 2010-11 by Andrew Strauss' team. It remains nan past clip England won down under.

"They were conscionable relentless," Harris tells BBC Sport. "I conscionable retrieve stepping into changing rooms astatine breaks reasoning 'what do we person to do to get these blokes out'."

As his squad suffered, truthful excessively did Harris, breaking his ankle successful nan 4th Test. Nothing compared to nan misery of Johnson, whose crippled fell isolated to a soundtrack of taunts from nan Barmy Army. He bowls to nan left, he bowls to nan right. You cognize nan rest.

"For nan first clip successful his profession he was challenged and nan shot wasn't coming retired anyplace adjacent what we would person liked," says Harris. "Mentally, he started 2nd guessing himself.

"That happens erstwhile location is truthful overmuch unit on. He was location to intimidate and vessel fast, but he couldn't rather get that."

Harris' adjacent ace astatine nan English, successful 2013, was conscionable arsenic problematic for Australia.

A chaotic build-up, including contention complete homework and David Warner punching Joe Root successful a Birmingham bar, culminated successful Mickey Arthur being replaced arsenic caput coach by Darren Lehmann.

"Boof had a monolithic gathering astir really we each person to beryllium successful it together," says Harris. "We had squad values Mickey had drawn up - starting pinch 'I will do this, I will do that'. Boof flipped that. He changed nan 'I' to 'We'. It was each astir america being together."

Australia recovered themselves 2-0 down, but could person won each nan past 3 Tests earlier yet losing nan bid 3-0. There was a return bid successful Australia consecutive away, and Harris sensed nan displacement successful momentum.

"You look astatine it connected insubstantial and it's 1 of nan worst results, but we thought it was measurement person than that," he says.

"When we sewage backmost connected nan plane, we near really hungry, and knowing it was going consecutive back, we saw it arsenic a awesome opportunity."

The different logic for Australian optimism was Johnson. Not portion of nan Test bid successful nan UK, he came successful for nan one-dayers that followed. Johnson 2.0 was bowling rockets and unsettling England batters.

"We said a batch astir it," says Harris. "England knew what they were coming backmost against.

"We went done nan footage. Seeing nan measurement he was, we knew location mightiness beryllium a spot of a chink successful their armour and it planted a beautiful large seed for america for what to expect connected our wickets."

Australia skipper Michael Clarke knew his squad were connected to something. "It wouldn't astonishment maine successful a mates of months' clip to spot Mitch [Johnson] being man of nan series," Clarke said earlier nan first Test.

Assembling his gait onslaught of Johnson, Harris and Peter Siddle, Clarke tasked his pacemen pinch neutralising Alastair Cook, nan England opener Australia could not get retired 3 years earlier.

"Michael Clarke pulled nan accelerated bowlers aside," says Harris.

"He said 'you guys are going to triumph this for us. We're going to target Cookie, make judge he's not getting disconnected to a bully start'.

"We went done each scheme we had for each batter, past Mitchell did what he did."

In nan first Test successful Brisbane, it was Harris who sparked England's first-innings illness from 82-2 to 136 each out. In nan 2nd innings, Johnson took 5 arsenic nan visitors were not only hammered, but besides near successful nary uncertainty of nan aggression they were up against.

Facing up to Johnson, England number 11 James Anderson exchanged words pinch short-leg fielder George Bailey. Clarke intervened and was heard connected nan stump mic utilizing an obscenity erstwhile informing Anderson to "get ready" for a surgery arm.

"That amazed a fewer of nan players arsenic well," says Harris. "Michael was vocal astir nan team, not needfully to guidance players, and Jimmy sewage nether nan tegument of astir players astatine times.

"We wanted to play that way. We wanted to beryllium aggressive, but we didn't person a scheme to spell difficult pinch verbal stuff.

"When we heard nan words Michael said we each thought 'ooohhh, that's cool'. We knew he was successful it pinch us, but that was a small spot of a shock. It was for illustration 'right, we're connected here'."

Despite starring English lambs to bulldoze astatine nan Gabbatoir and pinch England number 3 Jonathan Trott leaving nan tour, Harris did not consciousness for illustration Australia were "definitely connected top". After all, Australia had only conscionable notched a 2nd Ashes Test triumph successful 11 attempts.

In nan 2nd Test successful Adelaide came irrefutable grounds nan Johnson juggernaut would not beryllium stopped. A first-innings 7-40, including a burst of 5-16 successful 5 overs, flattened England – including debutant Ben Stokes - erstwhile more.

Three years connected from a nationalist humiliation, Johnson was carving his terrifying redemption, pinch Harris 1 of nan fewer that witnessed some sides of nan story.

"What happened successful 2010-11, it wounded him and it did get to him," says Harris. "He would opportunity now that he was truthful intense, a fiery character, that everything anyone said would get to him.

"He had a large break that made him realise cricket wasn't nan only thing. He liked cars, he had business interests and he had a young daughter. He worked retired that putting everything into cricket wasn't patient for him. He came backmost refreshed.

"The bowlers successful 2013-14, we were really tight, and we still are. We spent a batch of clip together and we didn't talk cricket each nan time. When it came to nan cricket stuff, we communicated truthful well. It was almost a squad wrong a team. We were truthful focussed connected what we had to do.

"Sometimes I was down astatine good limb and I took a mates of catches. The shot came truthful fast. Other times I was astatine mid-on, adjacent to him, and he was wished successful what he was doing. It was an astonishing point to watch."

In Perth, pinch nan opportunity to triumph backmost nan Ashes astatine nan earliest opportunity, Australia were dismantling England erstwhile more. Despite their clear superiority, jitters were coming for a location broadside that past won nan urn much than six years earlier.

"I couldn't sleep, truthful sewage up early, and went down to nan squad room astatine astir 5:30am reasoning I'd get an early coffee," says Harris.

"There were 7 aliases 8 players successful there, because they were truthful tense arsenic well."

For Harris, nan career-high of an Ashes triumph would travel pinch nan transportation for which he will ever beryllium remembered.

Bailey clobbered 28 from 1 Anderson complete and England were group a notional second-innings target of 504. Cook took strike, Harris had nan ball. What followed, from nan first shot of nan innings, bordered connected sorcery.

Harris presented a seam arsenic upright arsenic a King's Guard. Swing successful to left-hander Cook, landing conscionable beside a ace that zig-zagged down nan Waca pitch. From a leg-stump line, nan shot appeared to past move successful nan aerial successful nan other direction, past Cook's crooked grope to buss nan apical of disconnected stump.

Cook was near befuddled, defeated - some feet pointing down nan pitch. Harris was disconnected connected a ceremony tally that would person ended successful nan Swan River, had he not been mobbed by his team-mates.

"My assemblage was hurting a bit," says Harris. "I was moving into vessel and halfway done nan sound successful my caput said 'stop'. I didn't. I don't cognize why I didn't.

"The shot came retired and it conscionable felt good. The remainder is history."

Harris, now caput coach of South Australia, is speaking from Perth nan nighttime earlier he is backmost astatine nan Waca, starring his squad against Western Australia successful nan Sheffield Shield.

"I came present past twelvemonth and nan guys I coach gave maine a spot of instrumentality astir it," he says. "I put a shot connected nan spot astir wherever I thought it pitched. They enjoyed that.

"My small boy has friends astatine schoolhouse who person seen it. He has nary clue. Ball of nan century, it's what group want to explanation it. That was my occupation and it's what I was trying to do."

Australia celebrated successful Shane Warne's villa, and Harris had to apologise for a drunken tweet aft being refused introduction to nan Crown Casino. It was a minuscule problem compared to what England were going through.

Graeme Swann retired and nan visitors were Johnsoned erstwhile much successful nan 4th Test successful Melbourne.

Harris saved his best, of nan bid and his career, for nan last rout of a surgery England successful Sydney. His lucifer figures of 9-106 included an separator disconnected Boyd Rankin that completed nan 5-0. Johnson and Harris took 59 wickets betwixt them, beautiful overmuch bowling retired England six times arsenic a partnership.

"It was each astir nan Mitchell factor, nan gait he bowled astatine and nan measurement he took wickets," says Harris.

"I'm judge location was immoderate benignant of fearfulness successful 'how are we going to play Mitchell Johnson, erstwhile he's bowling that way?'.

"I'm not talking astir beingness fear, but nan measurement he was bowling they would person thought 'how americium I going to score?'. The measurement he was capable to support unit while bowling fast. Hitting nan stumps, hitting nan pads. That's nan fearfulness I'm talking about."

Harris wasn't done there. Two months later he was bowling Australia to a superb distant bid triumph complete a powerful South Africa. In nan deciding 3rd Test, Harris could hardly walk, yet his 7 wickets successful nan lucifer secured a thrilling win.

He underwent knee room instantly and returned for nan pursuing location summertime to play 3 Tests against India. Battling to find afloat fitness, he was included successful nan Australia squad for nan Ashes bid successful nan UK successful 2015.

"I was bowling successful a warm-up lucifer astatine Kent and I had a click successful my knee that felt different," says Harris. "I went backmost retired and bowled, and bowled beautiful well.

"I had a scan aft nan game. I'd cracked nan apical of my tibia."

Faced pinch status and missing retired connected 1 much Ashes dance, Harris was a "blubbering mess". Despite different crushing wounded setback, he was considering much room successful an effort to prolong his career.

At nan very end, Harris' aged mates and comrades Johnson and Siddle were location for him.

"I sat down pinch Mitch and Pete and said 'I reckon I tin do it again'," says Harris.

"I utilized to person to return truthful overmuch medicine and Mitch said 'I've seen what you person to return to beryllium capable to play, you can't support doing that because it will rip your tummy apart'. Pete was nan same.

"That's really adjacent we were. We cared profoundly for each other. They saw nan fluid being taken retired of my knee, really achy it was. They saw nan scans.

"I had a spot much of a think, said to my wife, my relative and my dad, and I had to propulsion nan pin."

Of Harris' 27 Test caps, 12 came successful Ashes contests. Half of his Test wickets were England batters.

Of bowlers to make their debut since 1900 and return astatine slightest 50 Ashes wickets, Harris has nan third-best average. Using nan aforesaid criteria, his strike-rate is only bettered by Johnson.

"From watching Ashes cricket, nan dream was to play it," says Harris.

"Yes, I'd loved to person played much Tests, but I timed it correct - erstwhile I wasn't injured it was for an Ashes series.

"I sewage nan astir retired of what I did and had an effect on nan way. We had a awesome clip done that period. I had a awesome profession and loved each infinitesimal of it."

The Ashes: Australia v England

21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026

In-play clips and highlights connected iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app. Ball-by-ball commentary connected BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and nan BBC Sport website and app, which will besides person unrecorded matter commentary and regular features and analysis