Moores keeps tour ticket for Harmison

Harmison was believed to be very much on trial yesterday when he stepped out to bowl on a flat surface in Paarl for the Highveld Lions in the first of his two first-class matches in South Africa aimed at proving both his fitness and form.

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But the England coach intimated that, barring another injury, Harm-ison already has one foot on the plane to Sri Lanka.

"Steve's been given the task to get some bowling form into him," said Moores at Loughborough, where he was publicising the success of the Sky Sports ECB coach education programme.

"He's not daft. He knows he hasn't bowled for a long time and he operates best when he's got some bowling in his legs and rhythm about him.

"If he can come through these two games nicely he will go to Sri Lanka with confidence, and it is very important we hit the ground running over there."

Harmison, whose season was disrupted by hernia surgery and other niggles, made a promising start to his rehabilitation period in South Africa, with two top-order wickets for Highveld Lions.

He had Cape Cobras opener Andrew Puttick lbw with the new ball and returned to break a century third-wicket stand by having South Africa one-day international batsman J P Duminy caught behind.

He finished with two for 57 at a shade more than four an over but could not stop the Cobras closing on 195 for four on a first day when only 63 overs were possible.

Even though the Durham paceman has not officially been named in the Test squad, he seems sure to join the England party in Colombo as the 16th man two days after his colleagues arrive there.

However, whether he will be in the team for the first Test in Kandy on December 1 is another matter.

It is doubtful whether Harmison will be rushed into the first of the two three-day warm-up games, and if and when he does get his chance he will have to fight his way back into a bowling attack which has seen the emergence of Ryan Sidebottom and the maturing of James Anderson in his absence.

"Selection for the first Test will be tight, there's no question about that," said Moores, who also welcomes Matthew Hoggard back into the squad after injury.

"Steve has a record behind him but we've seen other bowlers doing well. It made sense for Steve to get some cricket in South Africa, and hopefully he will come through well and give us a selection headache."

There has been no such headache, Moores insists, over the return of Michael Vaughan as captain.

The Test leader takes over from Paul Collingwood with the one-day side having achieved a notable triumph in following their 4-3 win over India with a 3-2 success in Sri Lanka.

Vaughan returned to the helm for the three-day training camp at Loughborough last week and Moores said: "It has all been pretty seamless, and I think Paul is happy to hand over the reins and concentrate on his own form again.

"Michael has had a break, is very hungry and has a huge drive about him to win this Test series. To me that's very positive.

"Paul has done a good job and has grown into captaincy but we have introduced some principles and values that can underpin both teams.

"The slightly different strategies that each of the two captains has might change, but the overall policy will remain the same."

Moores was diplomacy personified when he said he had yet to read his predecessor Duncan Fletcher's autobiography.

Will he read it? "I'll probably be tempted to at some point," he said. "Duncan has done his stuff and that's his choice, but for me history started when I took over, so there's nothing that will influence my opinion of anyone."

Moores will hope to emulate Fletcher's achievement in coaching a side to Test success in Sri Lanka, arguably the most difficult country in which to prosper.

As he grows into his role with each assignment, England have every chance.