Simon Harmer

South Africa faces a race against time to confirm Kagiso Rabada's fitness for the second Test against India. Bowling coach Piet Botha confirmed a decision on the injured pace spearhead will be made closer to the match. Lungi Ngidi has been brought in as cover, while the team assesses the Guwahati pitch and the potential impact of spin.

South Africa have recalled experienced spinner Simon Harmer to their expanded 17-man squad for the two-Test tour of New Zealand starting in Christchurch on Feb. 17.

South Africa captain Dean Elgar won the toss and elected to bat against England in the second Test at Old Trafford on Thursday as the Proteas recalled off-spinner Simon Harmer. Harmer, a stalwart wicket-taker with English county side Essex, returned in place of towering left-arm quick Marco Jansen in the only change to the XI that overwhelmed England by an innings and 12-runs in the first Test at Lord's last week.

India's Test specialist Hanuma Vihari gave a far better account of himself in his second County match for Warwickshire but couldn't build on a steady start, scoring 32 against Essex on Friday.

South Africa will be without middle order batsman Temba Bavuma for their three Test tour of England starting in August after he was ruled out with an elbow injury, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

South Africa spinner Simon Harmer on Tuesday said he was comfortable bowling with the SG ball which is different from the Kookabura balls with which they bowl at home.

South Africa has unveiled its 15-member squad for the upcoming Test series in India, with captain Temba Bavuma returning after injury. The Proteas have made minimal changes, banking on a blend of seasoned players and emerging talent to tackle the challenging subcontinental conditions. This series presents a significant opportunity for South Africa to break their winless streak on Indian soil.

Former India captain Anil Kumble grabbed attention from the commentary box. He mimicked KL Rahul's dismissal during the second Test against South Africa. The moment quickly went viral on social media. Kumble analyzed Rahul's shot and the bowler's execution. He explained the technical aspects of the dismissal. Fans reacted widely to the incident.

Ravindra Jadeja's exceptional spell has put South Africa in a precarious position, ending Day 2 at 93/7 and leading by just 63 runs. India had earlier been bowled out for 189, with Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer taking seven wickets between them. Jadeja's 4/29, supported by Kuldeep Yadav's 2/12, has India firmly in control.

With the debate on cricket pitches refusing to die down after the three-day finish in Mohali, South African off-spinner Simon Harmer echoed India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar's views by saying that Test match wickets are nowadays prepared to get results.

Shahbaz Nadeem struck twin blows as South Africa A reached 58/2 at tea thereby taking their overall lead to 198 against India A on Day 3 of 2nd unofficial 'Test'.

Keshav Maharaj said the hard work put in as he went wicketless through Bangladesh’s first innings paid dividends after he took 7-32 in the second to lead South Africa to a dominant 220-run victory on Monday.

South Africa have recalled middle-order batsman Ryan Rickelton and the spin duo of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj for the second and final Test against the West Indies at The Wanderers on Wednesday. Coach Shukri Conrad has revealed the starting XI and says he had no concerns over the form of newly-installed captain Temba Bavuma, who got a pair of ducks in the 87-run first Test victory in Pretoria last week.

As the year draws to a close, a number of players delivered notable performances in Test cricket. Based on those displays, Cricket Australia announced its Test XI of the year for 2025.

South African off-spinner Simon Harmer took all the wickets in his first test appearance for seven years as Bangladesh reached 98 for four at the close of play on a gloomy second day of the first Test at Kingsmead on Friday.

Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara frittered away a good start as India A reached 95/2 against South Africa at tea on Day 2 of the second and final unofficial 'Test'.

Skipper Temba Bavuma led from the front as his career-best 172 helped South Africa complete a 284-run victory over West Indies for a clean sweep of the two-match Test series at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Indian pacer Umesh Yadav joined Essex for the remainder of the 2023 season, replacing injured Doug Bracewell. Yadav becomes the team's second active foreign player, joining South African Simon Harmer.

South Africa fast bowler Duanne Olivier has been ruled out of the three-match Test series against England after injuring his hamstring in the warm-up defeat to the England Lions this week.

Stand-in captain KL Rahul admits India's spin struggles are a sharp concern, a pattern exposed by recent series losses. He acknowledges the issue won't be fixed overnight but is optimistic about improvements for upcoming series. Rahul also highlighted the importance of strike rotation in ODIs, drawing inspiration from Virat Kohli's expertise.

India's Test captain Shubman Gill's neck spasm casts doubt on his participation in the second Test against South Africa. Former spinner Anil Kumble suggests Sai Sudharsan as a potential replacement if Gill is unfit, while also noting Devdutt Padikkal as another batting option. India aims to avoid a series defeat after their Kolkata loss.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy made the highest score by a Bangladesh batsman against South Africa as he and Liton Das shared an unbeaten 82-run partnership on the third day of the first Test at Kingsmead on Saturday. Bangladesh were 183 for five wickets at lunch in reply to South Africa's first innings total of 367.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer struck in the last over before tea as Bangladesh started their reply to South Africa's first innings total of 367 on the second day of the first Test at Kingsmead on Friday. Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Shadman Islam looked comfortable against South African opening bowlers Duanne Olivier and Lizaad Williams.

Mushfiqur Rahim made a dogged half-century for Bangladesh before being dismissed shortly before lunch on the third day of the second Test against South Africa at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Sunday. Bangladesh were 210 for seven at lunch in reply to South Africa's first innings total of 453.

For the second time in the series, 12 wickets fell on the opening day , and naturally there were plenty of questions thrown at India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar.

If Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja turned on the heat against the formidable South African batting, then visiting spinners Imran Tahir, Simon Harmer and Dean Elgar also proved effective on the I S Bindra wicket.

South Africa secured a thrilling 30-run victory over India in the first Test, with Simon Harmer's eight wickets proving decisive. India, chasing 124, faltered to 93, hampered by the absence of captain Shubman Gill due to injury. Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram also played key roles in the win, giving the Proteas a 1-0 series lead.

Surrey and Northamptonshire's young left-hand batters, Sai Sudharsan and Prithvi Shaw, did not score significant runs in their English county matches. Sudharsan scored 14 off 47 balls in Surrey's home game against Essex, but was dismissed by Paul Walter and Simon Harmer. Surrey had an 82-run lead in the first innings.

India suffered a 30-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens, failing to chase 124. Spinner Simon Harmer and captain Temba Bavuma were instrumental for the visitors. Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant acknowledged the team should have secured the win, citing a crucial partnership that shifted momentum. This loss ends India's long unbeaten streak at the venue.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy defied South Africa's bowlers for more than seven hours and kept Bangladesh in touch with the hosts on the third day of the first Test at Kingsmead on Saturday. Mahmudul became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a Test century against South Africa as he made 137 in a total of 298.