Simon Harmer

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Simon Harmer
Harmer in 2019
Personal information
Full name
Simon Ross Harmer
Born (1989-02-10) 10 February 1989 (age 35)
Pretoria, Transvaal Province, South Africa
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleBowler
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 321)2 January 2015 v West Indies
Last Test8 March 2023 v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2009/10–2011/12Eastern Province
2010/11–2018/19Warriors (squad no. 11)
2016/17Border
2017–presentEssex (squad no. 11)
2018–2019Jozi Stars
2020/21Titans
2021/22–presentNortherns
2023/24Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Career statistics
Competition Test FC LA T20
Matches 10 205 98 167
Runs scored 221 5,927 1,223 1,088
Batting average 18.41 24.49 21.08 16.00
100s/50s 0/0 2/31 0/1 0/0
Top score 47 102* 68 43
Balls bowled 2,105 49,133 4,734 3,132
Wickets 39 902 100 151
Bowling average 27.56 25.97 38.58 26.25
5 wickets in innings 0 57 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 14 0 0
Best bowling 4/61 9/80 4/42 4/19
Catches/stumpings 4/– 208/– 64/– 93/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 29 September 2023

Simon Ross Harmer (born 10 February 1989) is a South African international cricketer. He plays for South Africa primarily as an off-break bowler but is also a capable lower order batsman. He plays domestic cricket for Titans.

Biography

Harmer debuted for Warriors in the 2010–2011 first class season against the Cape Cobras claiming 5/98 in the first innings and 1/53 in the second innings to go along with his 46 and 69 runs with the bat.[1] He became a regular fixture in Warriors side in the 2011–2012 side, ending the season as leading wicket taker in his full rookie season, claiming 44 wickets.[2]

These performances earned him a call up for the 3rd Test against West Indies in 2014/15,[3] where he made his Test match debut for South Africa against the West Indies on 2 January 2015 at Newlands, Cape Town.[4] He took his debut Test wicket by bowling Devon Smith in the last over before the lunch break on day one[4] and ended the innings with figures of 3/71 from 26 overs.[5]

Ahead of the 2017 season, Harmer signed for Essex County Cricket Club as a Kolpak player.[6] In June, in the 2017 County Championship, Harmer took 9 wickets for 95 runs in the second innings against Middlesex.[7][8] He was the first bowler for Essex to take nine wickets in an innings since Mark Ilott in 1995, and he finished with career-best match figures of 14 for 172.[9]

Harmer continued his form and took the wicket which confirmed Essex as Champions in the win against Warwickshire. Harmer finished the 2017 season with the second-highest haul in the Country in terms of wickets taken, with 72 wickets at 19.19. Although neither he, nor his team, hit the same heights in 2018, he still managed 57 wickets at 24.45 each and provided useful runs batting at number eight in the batting order.[10]

Harmer bowling for Essex in 2017

In October 2018, Harmer was named in Jozi Stars' squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament.[11][12] He was the leading wicket-taker for Warriors in the 2018–19 CSA 4-Day Franchise Series, with 27 dismissals in seven matches.[13] In September 2019, he was named in the squad for the Jozi Stars team for the 2019 Mzansi Super League tournament.[14]

In September 2019, Harmer captained Essex County Cricket Club to their first ever T20 Blast victory against the Worcestershire County Cricket Club after taking 7 wickets across both the semi-final and final on Finals Day, the most by any bowler on a T20 English Domestic Finals Day. In April 2020 he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his T20 and Championship performances for Essex in the 2019 season in the 2020 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.[15]

In 2019 Harmer expressed a desire to play for the England national team, but due to a variety of immigration regulation changes in the wake of Brexit in 2020, this proved impossible and he abandoned the idea in 2021.[16]

In April 2021, Harmer was named in Northerns' squad, ahead of the 2021–22 cricket season in South Africa.[17]

In January 2022, Harmer was named in the 17-man South Africa Test squad for their tour of New Zealand.

In April 2022, Harmer made his first appearance for the Proteas Test side in six and a half years against Bangladesh. He and Keshav Maharaj were instrumental in helping defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in the 2 test series, taking 13 wickets.

References

  1. ^ "Simon Harmer". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Cricket Records – Records – SuperSport Series, 2011/12 – Most wickets – ESPN Cricinfo". Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Harmer's call-up a warning to Tahir". Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b "West Indies tour of South Africa, 3rd Test: South Africa v West Indies at Cape Town, Jan 2–6, 2015". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  5. ^ "3rd Test: South Africa v West Indies at Cape Town, Jan 2–6, 2015 – Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Simon Harmer: South Africa all-rounder joins Essex on Kolpak deal". BBC Sport. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Specsavers County Championship Division One, Essex v Middlesex at Chelmsford, Jun 26–29, 2017". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Essex v Middlesex: South Africa spinner Simon Harmer takes 9–95 as visitors collapse". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Magical Harmer takes Essex 29 points clear". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Simon Harmer profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Mzansi Super League - full squad lists". Sport24. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Mzansi Super League Player Draft: The story so far". Independent Online. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  13. ^ "4-Day Franchise Series, 2018/19 - Warriors: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  14. ^ "MSL 2.0 announces its T20 squads". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  15. ^ Lawrence Booth (ed.). "Wisden Cricketers of the Year". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (2020 ed.). Wisden. p. 71.
  16. ^ Stocks, Chris (12 April 2022). "Brexit ruined Simon Harmer's hopes of playing for England, now he could come back to haunt them". inews.co.uk.
  17. ^ "CSA reveals Division One squads for 2021/22". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

External links