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Former England captain Alec Stewart is adamant that England must pick Steve Harmison for the final Test against the West Indies in Trinidad.

Stewart believes Harmison is the key to possible success for England, in what has been a demoralising series for Andrew Strauss's side.

England remain 1-0 down to the West Indies, after Harmison was dropped for the fourth Test in Barbados, but Stewart insists that the Durham fast bowler is vital if the visitors are to level the series in Trinidad.

"I'm a big fan of Steve Harmison," he told Eurosport-Yahoo! at the new £35 million Surrey Sports Park development at the University of Surrey.

"This is not hindsight, because I've been saying it all along: he should have played in the last Test match.

"He's an out and out match-winner, and you need match-winners in your side," he added.

Harmison has been much-maligned for his inconsistency, particularly away from home in an England shirt, but Stewart is confident that he is a crucial ingredient of bowling coach Ottis Gibson's line-up.

"He's erratic at times, but as long as you've got other bowlers about who can keep it tight to support him, then to me that is all a part of creating a good team.

"So going into Trinidad, I hope he plays - I'm not so sure the selectors will pick him, but I certainly would, as part of a bowling line-up which complements his talents.

"Especially without (injured) Andrew Flintoff playing, to take 20 wickets on a flat pitch, you need something special to turn the game - that man is Steve Harmison."

Stewart is critical of the selectors' decision to replace Harmison with Ryan Sidebottom and believes the pace bowler needs special treatment.

"If we can get him (Harmison) on song, then we have our best chance, but he needs to be managed well, and sometimes given an arm around the shoulder.

"He does have his critics, but I'm someone who is very much pro-Steve Harmison," he added.

Stewart admits he is surprised by the West Indies' resurgence in this series, but also concedes that England have been accommodating in their approach, with a lot of room for improvement.

"Before the series began, I expected us to win the series comfortably - probably by two Test matches - but that has not been the case," he said. "Now that is a real shock to anyone who knows anything about the game.

"The Windies have battled hard, and England have not performed as well as they should have done," he added.

The former Surrey keeper cited England's key players as losing their concentration at key moments for losing the ascendency in the series, and is calling for experienced players to take responsibility in Antigua.

"In cricket, especially in the West Indies, you can't afford to have a bad session, because the game can suddenly drift away from you - as we have discovered to our cost.

"England need three people to hold their hands up and produce match-winning performances, with the other eight all performing, too.

"We have a lot of good players, but they have to perform all of the time and they simply haven't done that."

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport