Graham Dilley, England's bowling coach, has told Steve Harmison not to panic despite suffering severe problems with his run-up during the second day of the Perth Test. Harmison, who finished with 1 for 86 from 28 overs, repeatedly lost his stride as he ran in to deliver the ball. He eventually resorted to shuffling to the crease, after aborting his run-up on several occasions. "Most bowlers have been there," said Dilley. "It is very difficult to explain - I have been there myself - but what happens is that you just lose where you are. What I was trying to get across to Steve is that you don't panic. As quickly as the problem has come, so can it go away, as long as you stay calm and you recognise that it is not such a big thing.

Dilley, who played in 41 Tests between 1979 and 1989, took Harmison aside during the lunch interval to try to rectify the problem. "The start of a run-up and the end points are exactly the same. It is just that your brain tells you things that physically you are unable to take on board.

"It is not technical - it is purely mental," added Dilley. "While I was talking to Steve, he said, 'I am buggered if I am going to give up'. He didn't, and I thought that was fantastic. The spirit he showed, having to go through all that, under the gaze of TV and 20,000-odd in the crowd, showed that he has an awful lot of determination to do well.

"It is very difficult for him to realise it at the moment, but eventually he will be quite pleased that he came through this."

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