In a remarkable display of skill and perseverance, South African off-spinner Simon Harmer orchestrated one of his country's most famous Test victories on Indian soil, defeating the hosts at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens. This triumph marked the culmination of a personal journey that saw Harmer return to the Test arena after a seven-year absence, a comeback built on going back to basics and a burning desire to represent his nation once more.
The Dream Reborn: A Phone Call That Changed Everything
The seeds of this successful return were sown when South Africa's red-ball coach, Shukri Conrad, received a pivotal phone call. Simon Harmer, then in semi-exile from the national team, expressed his desperation to play for South Africa again. Coach Conrad's response was immediate and welcoming: "I told him I was equally desperate to have him in this team!" This conversation ignited Harmer's Test rebirth, setting the stage for his Eden Gardens heroics.
Between his last Test in November 2015 and his return in March 2022, Harmer embarked on a profound journey of self-discovery. He learned and unlearned his craft, celebrated successes, and endured heartbreaks. During this period, he became a law graduate, grabbed over 1000 first-class wickets, and nearly became a British citizen before Brexit altered his plans. As the winter of his career approached, he returned to his roots to resume his biggest dream: playing Test cricket for South Africa.
The Art of Orthodox Spin: Buckets' Winning Formula
In his second life in Test cricket, Harmer's numbers speak volumes. In just eight Tests since his comeback, he has snatched 40 wickets at an impressive average of 20, striking every 42nd delivery. His performances have been instrumental in scripting victories in challenging conditions like India and Pakistan, slowly changing the perception that South Africa is not a spin-bowling nation.
Harmer's craft is an ode to off-spin orthodoxies. He doesn't rely on fancy variations but perfects the fundamentals: good old turn into the right-hander, putting revolutions on the ball, and mastery over flight, drift, and drop. His philosophy is simple yet effective, as he once explained: "You need to have a stock ball. There are so many variations you can bowl of your stock ball without changing a thing, in the trajectory of the ball, the speed, the line."
Two deliveries define his effectiveness: a full ball outside the left-hander's off-stump that spins away to kiss the outside edge, and a full ball outside the right-hander's off-stump that breaks into him and blasts the front pad. He wields his craft with a larrikin spirit—grinning, bantering, and constantly changing hairstyles—while imposing his physique and personality on batters. His large hands earned him the nickname "Buckets" from teammates and "Tentacles" from schoolmates.
From Self-Doubt to Self-Awareness: The Journey Within
Behind the outward bluster lay periods of inner doubt and fear. Harmer recalls a time after initially achieving his Test dream: "My dream was to play for South Africa, and once I'd achieved that, I didn't reassess – you've now achieved this goal. What's next?" During the 2015 series in India, the pressure overwhelmed him. "I was quite new to Test cricket, and Ravi Ashwin was bowling like a jet and I think he took close to 40 wickets in that series. The expectation that I needed to do the same and dealing with that put me under even more pressure."
After what would be his last Test in Nagpur during that first iteration of his career, Harmer embarked on a journey of self-discovery. A 10-day stop in Mumbai changed his craft significantly before he landed in Essex, where he became a cult hero, spinning them to multiple championships and snaring 513 wickets at 23.7 in eight seasons.
As his career matured, Harmer gained valuable perspective: "It's also about realising that cricket isn't the be-all and end-all. There's a lot more to life. Now I'm a lot more comfortable in my own skin. I understand what I'm good at and what I'm not so good at; things that I can work on." He also made peace with the system that once disillusioned him, understanding the importance of self-awareness and focusing on controllable factors.
His transformation was evident in his post-match comments in Kolkata. When asked about a missed five-wicket haul, he replied, "I am not a stats man, I am a win man," perfectly capturing his team-first mentality. Earlier, he had prophetically stated, "He who cries first, smiles last!"—a maxim that perfectly described his own journey from exile to triumph.
Looking ahead, Harmer plans his eventual exit from cricket life. The self-described "black sheep" of his academic family—his father is a geologist and brother a radiologist—always preferred sports, following his mother's athletic pursuits. Though he aspires to become a tax lawyer, for now, he focuses on embellishing his career with more achievements and collecting memorabilia for the beach house he dreams of buying with his brother one day.
