South Africa blitz Australia in the cricket. But who is Simon Harmer?
2 November 2026
Things did not go well for the Australian men’s cricket team over the weekend, in South Africa. They lost the third test, played in Cape Town, by one-hundred-and-seventy-six runs, handing South Africa the three match series, two games to one.
I sat down to watch one session, and looked on in disbelief as Simon Harmer, a South African spin bowler, tore through the Australian batting line up.
Spin bowling is a method of delivery that is slower than pace or fast bowling, but can be far more unpredictable, depending how the bowler manipulates the ball with their wrist and fingers. The condition of the playing pitch can also aid spin bowlers, as it deteriorates throughout the game.
Harmer ended up taking ten wickets, out of a possible twenty, across both Australian innings. Until now though, I’d never heard of him. This was surprising given he seems to be of the same pedigree as late Australian spin bowler, Shane Warne.
The picture was all the more puzzling as Harmer first played for South Africa in 2015, but since then has been in fewer than twenty test matches. I’d have thought if someone with the ability of Warne was available, you’d pull out all the stops to keep them in the team.
But a number of factors have kept Harmer out the South African team, including contractual obligations to an English county team.
As I looked on though, it seemed as if Australia had no idea what had struck them. Experienced batters can often “read the spin”, by watching the bowler’s hand movements, and react accordingly. But that knowledge appeared to be in short supply at Cape Town.
At age thirty-seven, Harmer may not be playing too much longer, but I think Australia needs to better prepare their batters to deal with spin bowling.
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