Back in South Africa’s Test squad ahead of the tour of New Zealand after the end of his Kolpak deal with Sussex County Cricket Club, Simon Harmer says he will always be ready to give his best for the country. However, the batsman understands that his opportunities will be limited in the presence of Keshav Maharaj.
The off-spinner, who was once South Africa’s hope in the spin department, now has to wait before he could get his place back in the playing XI because of Maharaj, who has owned that solitary spot in the Test match attack over the last five years.
Harmer’s departure to the county scene in England provided Maharaj an opening and a chance that he grabbed with both hands. The left-arm spinner’s first Test for the Proteas came less than a year after Harper’s last Test on the tour of India back in 2015. Since then, he has taken 119 wickets in 35 Tests and proved an able fit around whom South African captains can rotate their seamers.
The 32-year-old Harmer said realistically that his chances upon comeback will be limited, but he is determined to focus on preparing as hard as he would if he was in the side and proving an able support cast or backup to Maharaj.
“I think if we’re realistic, if you look at the Hagley Oval (venue for the first Test versus NZ), it’s probably the greenest and bounciest and quickest wickets in New Zealand so the chances of us playing two spinners is very low,”
the 32-year-old was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Harmer had been running through sides in the County Championship in the United Kingdom for Essex before making his return home via the senior domestic game. He bagged 35 wickets from six matches of the four-day franchise first-class tournament in South Africa this summer for the Titans, averaging 19.45 with an economy of 2.61.
“So I’m just going to make sure that I’m available if needed. If something was to happen – Kesh has done extremely well in his international cricket thus far.
And I’m always going to be a supporting act to him which I hope I can do to the best of my ability if the opportunity does arise,”
he added.
