Steve Harmison blasts ‘disrespectful’ English tickertape parade after 2005 Ashes

An English cult hero has blasted his own compatriots over an infamous moment during the old enemy’s Ashes victory celebrations.

Former English fast bowler Steve Harmison has blasted the now-famous open-top bus parade celebrating the English victory in the 2005 Ashes.

Against all odds and against arguably the greatest team ever to grace Test cricket, the English ended a generational drought and regained the Ashes for the first time since 1986-87.

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It would earn English captain Michael Vaughan a congratulatory note and an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II, while the rest of his men were made MBEs in the 2006 New Year’s Honours.

Harmison is best known to Aussie fans for his opening delivery of the 2006 Ashes to Justin Langer. Pic: Phil Hillyard

It would also see an extraordinary celebration on the streets of London the day after the Fifth Test, with both the men’s and women’s Ashes-winning sides feted with an open-top bus tour in front of thousands of revelling English fans.

Man of the series Andrew Flintoff was even found by journalists the morning of the parade at 7.35am downing a cranberry and vodka.

Not everyone, however, looks back fondly at those celebrations.

Harmison, who took 17 wickets in that series at 32.29, calls the parade “the only sour point”.

“We should never have done the 2005 open top bus parade in London,” Harmison said, speaking to Online Cricket Betting.

“It was disrespectful to the Aussies.

“Probably the biggest regret of the whole thing was the bus parade to go around the streets of London that should have happened a year later.

“I think the level of respect (that) should have been shown – Australia should have been in the air flying back home and not in London watching it and all unfold in front of them, that just shouldn‘t have happened.

“That‘s one of my biggest regrets.

“That’s the only sour point of that series.

“A fantastic series played by two groups of blokes who went, you know, unbelievably hard at each other on the field, but had a level of respect for each other off the field.”

The Poms were raucous in their victory celebrations.

Thousands of people turned out on the streets of London to celebrate the English victory in 2005. AFP PHOTO/ODD ANDERSEN

Harmison would go on to tour Australia the following year as Ricky Ponting’s men got their revenge in brutal fashion, opening the series with one of the most unfortunately iconic moments in cricket.

The then-28-year-old, in the midst of a career that would bring him 226 Test wickets, was given the new ball to send down to Justin Langer at the Gabba, only to spray it wide to Andrew Flintoff at second slip.

Bill Lawry’s call of the infamous moment said it all: “Woah! Wide delivery, taken at slip by the skipper! The nerves are showing already.”

Harmison would finish his time as an England cricketer after their 2009 Ashes victory, losing his place in the side and his contract for the subsequent tour of South Africa.

Asked about the upcoming Ashes series, which starts on Friday June 16 at 7.30pm AEST, Harmison said James Anderson, who will turn 41 during the series, will be crucial to England’s success.

11am, November 23, 2006: At this very moment, 15 years ago, Steve Harmison delivered the first ball of that summer's #Ashes to second slip pic.twitter.com/3I852beT9r

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 23, 2021

“I still can‘t believe he’s still playing,” he said.

“He’s an amazing character, an amazing man, had an unbelievable career, the very best of all time for me when it comes to the seam bowling department and that’s no mean feat with the bowlers that have played in the history of the game but longevity, his skill level is still there but it will be a concern.

“He‘s still one of our prized assets.

“I still think if England win the Ashes, Jimmy Anderson will have had a huge part to play in it.”

Harmison expects England to win the series without a draw, calling it for England 3-2.

“I think every game will be close, it‘ll be a tight series but I think England will win it 3-2,” he said.

“I can make arguments that England will win 5-0, I can also make an argument that Australia will win 5-0.

“But it’s going to be that good of a series and that close of a series that either side will get a result in every Test and it could be 3-2 either way. So I’m going England 3-2.”

Asked about Australia’s destroyer in the World Test Championship final, South Australian batter Travis Head, Harmison identified a simple solution – go upstairs, and bump him.

“I think England will be aggressive to Travis Head, definitely Mark Wood,” he said.

“Up until that Test match, Travis Head didn‘t really have a great time in England.

“He struggled at Sussex, in the latter part of his last trip, only averaging 19. He has had a struggle in England before.

“I imagine England will be a lot more aggressive to him, he‘ll have a lot more short balls, and I think you’ll have a lot more fielders, not only in prime catching positions around the leg side and the bat, but also in deep positions.

“That‘s where I’d look to go at Travis Head.”