London: Durham bowler Steve Harmison is permanently returning to one-day internationals, declaring himself available for all future limited-overs games and overseas tours.

"I am available from now to play every one-day international and Twenty20 for England," Harmison said on the England and Wales Cricket Board's Web site on Thursday.

Harmison retired from ODIs after England's tour to Australia in 2006-07, but agreed to make a temporary comeback two weeks ago, when coach Peter Moores and captain Kevin Pietersen asked him to cover for the injured Ryan Sidebottom against South Africa at Headingley.

"Both Peter Moores and Kev told me to come back and play. We need somebody, we need a favor, will you come and bowl?" Harmison said. "I said I would come and play until the end of the series and see what happens then. And I've enjoyed it."

Harmison dismissed suggestions that he's coming back simply because he wants to play in England's Twenty20 game against West Indies in Antigua in November, which has a winner-take-all purse of US$20 million (euro13.5 million).

"I have said to the captain and the coach what my feelings are and I don't really want to say them in public," he said. "I didn't envisage coming back to play in this series, which makes it awkward, but that is a bit down the line. If I am picked for that game there is not much I can do about it."

Pietersen initially asked Harmison to come out of retirement after England's 2-1 test series defeat to South Africa this month. He declined, but relented when Pietersen and Moores made a second request following Sidebottom's injury.

Harmison had previously cited homesickness for his reluctance to tour, but said his poor performances were also a factor.

"The family reasons were not the only reason I packed in," he said. "It was one of the main reasons but it wasn't the whole thing. I packed it in for cricketing reasons _ I wasn't bowling very well, and was not enjoying my cricket."

Following his retirement, Harmison also found himself dropped from the England test side, but he returned to take four wickets in the victory over South Africa in the final test of a four-match series at the Oval.

He then took 2-43 as England beat South Africa by 20 runs on his return to one-day action at Headingley and 2-4 at the Oval, where England thrashed the tourists by 10 wickets.