Harmison ends the hurt

It took 104 deliveries for Steve Harmison to enjoy the sweet taste of a first Test wicket on his debut at Trent Bridge, though in reality the waiting has lasted much longer.

The gangling Durham pace bowler, 24 in October, was on the verge of selection two summers ago and four times was named in Test squads, without making the starting 11. He would have made his bow against West Indies had he not been stricken with sore shins.

Having wintered at the England Academy, Harmison began this season ahead of the Lord's debutant Simon Jones in the pecking order, only to tear an intercostal muscle, a setback that tended to confirm the notion that his 6ft 4in frame is somewhat fragile.

He has twice pulled out of A tours at the last minute through injury. On another occasion, he dislocated a shoulder when the thumb of his bowling arm caught in his trouser pocket.

Yesterday, free of physical impediment, his feeling was one of relief. "I was very nervous, particularly on the first day, and I didn't bowl as well as I could," he said. "I did not have the confidence to bowl fast but the first wicket made me relax more and push on."

The second one came quickly, Harmison dismissing Ajit Agarkar and Pakistan's younger rookie – 17-year-old wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel – in the space of 11 deliveries.

Neither ball was as popular with the England and Wales Cricket Board, however, as the one sent down by Matthew Hoggard to complete the 25th over of a rain-ravaged day.

It meant that spectators saw precisely the amount of cricket required to be denied any refunds on tickets costing from £22 to £47, enabling the ECB to keep around £450,000 in gate receipts.