England fast bowler Steve Harmison has swapped bouncers for broadcasting – becoming the Newcastle United correspondent for talkSPORT.
The 43-year-old double Ashes winner, who had a spell managing hometown club Ashington from 2015-17, will cover the Premier League club for the radio station as they seek to progress under manager Eddie Howe, with the backing of huge Saudi wealth.
Harmison has been a regular on talkSPORT, and while his focus has mainly been on cricket, he has often spoken on issues at his beloved Magpies.
It will now be interesting to see his approach to the club’s controversial new ownership, and the many questions that remain unanswered over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
US intelligence alleged that the man behind the takeover, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Salaman, approved the slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi – a claim denied by the Saudi foreign ministry – and whether Harmison will get involved in such tricky areas will be fascinating.
The ex-cricketer will follow the side, commentate on matches and be a regular at press conferences. Harmison played 63 Tests for England, alongside stints for Durham and Yorkshire.
He set the tone for the dramatic 2005 Ashes victory with a display of accurate, aggressive bowling which left Australia captain Ricky Ponting bleeding after being struck on the helmet.
While an errant first ball of the following series will be remembered for different reasons, he returned from the cold to play a key role as England defeated the old enemy again in 2009.
Harmison’s switch follows that of former Sunderland star Michael Gray, who covers the Manchester clubs for the broadcaster.