Watch: Simon Harmer’s rippers to left-handers in the SA v BAN Test

South African off-spinner Simon Harmer delivered a classic spell on Day 2 of the first Test against Bangladesh in Durban this Friday (April 1). Making his international comeback after five years in a rare Test where South Africa have fielded two spinners, Harmer ran through the Bangladeshi top-order.

The 33-year-old reduced Bangladesh to 98 for 4 in their response to the hosts’ impressive 367 in the first-innings on a green seaming deck. Despite no real help for the spinners, the comeback man proved too good for the visitors, especially their left-handers.

Simon Harmer bagged three of them in his 20-overs worth of bowling for figures of 4 for 42 before the close of Day 2, featuring opener Shadman Islam, No.3 Najmul Hossain Shanto and the prized scalp of opposition’s best batter and skipper Mominul Haque without him adding a run on the board.

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Simon Harmer bowled a terrific spell on Day 2 of the Durban Test against Bangladesh.

Simon Harper too good for Bangladesh lefties on Test comeback

But the real quality set-ups were reserved for the wickets of Islam and Shanto as Simon Harmer got them out on the outside and the inside edge, respectively. To Shanto, who was set on 38 at the time, the off-spinner got the batter to play the one coming into him, before the lateral turn on the ball evaded his willow and crashed onto the off-stump. It was a proper wicket ball.

For the next one, against Islam, Harmer used the usual off-spinner-to-leftie ploy of setting the batter up for the ones going away from his outside edge, before the straight ball did the ultimate damage. Clearly wary of nicking one outside off by that point in Harmer’s spell, Islam got his foot planted at the crease as if he is about to play a cut short.

But he was forced to evasive action after the off-spinner landed one on the back of the good length. With no time to make any late adjustments from his initial stroke, Islam was out bowled in a piece of brilliance from the South African spinner.

8 looped up and then the flatter ball classic harmer pic.twitter.com/QsThyEJKa7

— Will (@will_0822_) April 1, 2022

Simon Harmer is on comeback trail since being redrafted to the Test squad in February as a backup spinner to Keshav Maharaj for the tour of New Zealand. The spinner cut short his international career back in 2017 after signing a Kolpak deal with Essex.

Harmer continued to shine in the county circuit. The off-spinner ran through batting units in the UK and emerged as a hero in Essex’s two County Championship titles.

But with Brexit putting an end to all Kolpak deals in England, he had to return to domestic cricket in South Africa. Strong performances there through the winter earned him a much-deserved return to the Test team.