I’M OUT TO PUT A STOP TO BAZBALL!
Simon Harmer has spent his career proving people wrong — and is convinced he can help South Africa tame England’s Test transformers
Simon Harmer ponders his chances of putting a stop to ‘Bazball’ and issues a statement of intent to England’s rampant Test transformers.
‘There’s going to be a lot of noise saying, “He’s done it on the county circuit, can he do it on the international stage against batters looking to be ultraaggressive?”’ said the off-spinner South Africa hope can tame England this summer.
‘That’s the challenge for me. i love nothing more than to prove people wrong so i hope people think i can’t succeed in international cricket — and i hope i prove them wrong.’ it is a confident declaration made in the softy- spoken style of the most prolific bowler in county cricket over the last five years.
now, after leading Essex to two Championship titles, the Bob Willis Trophy and the Twenty20 Blast since arriving disillusioned from his native Pretoria in 2017, Harmer wants to show a wider audience the skills that have made him such a dominant domestic force.
‘England are changing the way people see Test cricket and Brendon mcCullum has brought a lot of freedom into their dressing room,’ Harmer said. ‘You see it in the way Joe Root is playing and where his game’s at. Jonny Bairstow as well has been in and out of the team but now looks like he’s played a hundred Tests.
‘it’s exciting for Test cricket but i’m sure somewhere along the line they’ll get it wrong. When they do they will take it on the chin and keep moving forward so we’ve got to hope to catch them on a few off days and try to play our best cricket.
‘We can’t worry too much about what they’re going to do. it’s still very new and exciting and it’s what red-ball cricket in England needed after the hangover of the Ashes and the perception that everything is wrong with domestic cricket in England.
‘For them to come out and play like they have has answered a lot of questions.’
The next question England must answer is: can they continue their all-action pioneering style, electing to bowl first simply so they can chase, when they come up against quality spin?
That was lacking in both the new Zealand and india attacks
earlier this summer but South Africa, in the form of Keshav maharaj and Harmer, not to mention a formidable pace attack, could prove a very different proposition when they take on England in a three-Test series, starting at Lord’s on August 17.
‘When batters are looking to be aggressive there’s always going to be opportunities and if there is spin and foot holes to bowl into on days four and five i think it makes it a very even challenge,’ said Harmer.
‘We’re definitely not going to lie down against England, that’s for sure. They will be three incredibly hard-fought games and hopefully we can come out on top.’
not that Harmer feels he is certain to play, with South Africa captain Dean Elgar saying maharaj is his no 1 spinner ahead of the man recalled to play two Tests earlier this year after a seven-year gap since he played his first five games.
‘i think i’m always going to be a supporting act to Kesh because he’s done incredibly well in his international career,’ admitted Harmer. ‘i’m looking to be the second spinner and offer as much with the bat as possible.
‘it would be huge if i could add runs at seven or eight. it’s an incredible opportunity and something i’ve been waiting a long time. i’m sure as hell going to be ready for that first Test.’
Surely South Africa would be foolish to leave Harmer out in English conditions where he has reigned supreme in county cricket. He arrived at Chelmsford as a Kolpak signing aged 27 and frustrated at a lack of opportunities in South Africa. Since then he has spearheaded a golden period for Essex, particularly in first-class cricket.
After yesterday’s defeat by Surrey he has now taken an incredible 352 wickets in 72 games for Essex at 20.27 apiece with his sharply spun, attacking off-breaks. Significantly, he has an excellent record at the three Test venues next month of Lord’s, old Trafford and the oval.
‘it’s been a great journey so far with a few bumps along the way but that only makes you stronger and i’m certainly in a better place than i was in 2015,’ said Harmer,
now 33. ‘i’m very grateful to Essex because they believed in me and gave me the chance to play three formats again. And that got me back on the international stage. Essex instilled the belief in me that i was good enough. They helped me fall in love with the game again.’
So at home has Harmer felt that things could have been very different. The last time we spoke, in 2019, he was investigating the possibility of qualifying for England even though he said then he would have to ‘jump through hoops’ to make it happen.
now he says it was never realistic: ‘Trouble was, as a Kolpak player, the ECB made sure you were in essence a glorified tourist i was allowed to play county cricket for Essex but i couldn’t do anything else. i couldn’t even play recreational cricket and give back to the community by playing for a club in Essex.
‘i was playing here and yes there was chit-chat about me playing for England but if you looked through the rules and regulations there was absolutely no way i could get a passport. i couldn’t
qualify through residence. i was never going to play for England.’
instead Brexit and his re-classification as an overseas player opened the door to a return for his home country. ‘i honestly felt there was a bit of unfinished business with South Africa,’ he said. ‘There was a lot of stuff i personally wanted to straighten out.
‘i’ve always had aspirations to play international cricket again and i’d obviously done well in England. i wanted to test myself against the best in the world and know where i was in my game.
‘So i went back to play in South Africa for Titans in the English winter and did quite well and then got recalled to the Test squad.’
His return saw Harmer take 13 wickets in two Tests against Bangladesh in April, usually bowling in tandem with maharaj.
‘i definitely felt at home and welcomed,’ said the man who criticised South Africa’s system when he left for England. ‘i had to show people i wanted to contribute as much as i could and help win games for South Africa.
‘my intentions have always been good and that set-up is full of guys who are trying to take South African cricket forward. it’s an exciting set-up with a good balance of the exuberance of youth combined with the old school leadership of mark Boucher and Dean Elgar. it’s a very good mix.’
And it’s one he hopes will bring down his adopted country.
‘ Having played so much in England and played at the three grounds where the Tests will be it’s a very exciting prospect,’ added Harmer, who will join up with the South Africa squad after next week’s game against Somerset at Chelmsford.
‘Just to walk through the long room at Lord’s is childhood dreams stuff. i wouldn’t say i’m daunted by the prospect of playing against England. i just have to make sure i’m prepared.’