AUSTRALIA TOUR OF SA
John Goliath|Published
For Simon Harmer, returning to St George’s Park always feels like coming home.
Having spent his formative years playing domestic cricket for the Warriors in Gqeberha, the veteran off-spinner possesses an intimate understanding of the unique sporting cathedral tucked away on South Africa's East Coast.
"It's always nice coming back, I feel like the Eastern Cape is home for me," Harmer said following the Proteas' win in the second Test against Australia.
"Getting off the plane and breathing in that thick sea air, it's always something that puts a smile on my face. I enjoyed my time here and playing at St George's Park."
Harmer is quick to acknowledge that his local knowledge of the ground's microclimate and subtle pitch variations gave the Proteas an extra edge when exploiting the conditions and setting fields.
With both teams confronting overcast skies and persistent rain interruptions at the start of the Test, and blustery winds swirling through the venue towards the end, Harmer had to grind through the hard yards while the pace unit dominated headlines.
While Harmer found conditions less suited to his bowling, he played a crucial role tying up one end while the speedsters operated from the other, especially after Anrich Nortje pulled up with a groin injury.
"Understanding the slope here, understanding what the different ends do, the ball is probably a bit more up and down from the one side, and probably a bit more bounce from the Duck Pond end, and then understanding the winds and what's coming over your shoulder, I do think it sort of helped us along the way," he explains.
Despite being self-critical regarding his bowling late on Day 5 as clouds rolled over the stadium, Harmer’s overall contribution to the Test win was immense.
"I'll take it on the chin, and I do believe that I could have bowled better," Harmer admits candidly. "I think in both Tests, it's probably been more seamer-friendly than it has been spinner-friendly. I missed a bit full today, especially towards the back end, trying to sort of deal with the wind coming over my shoulder, and also probably trying a bit too hard knowing that we needed a couple of wickets to drive it home.
However, Harmer made up for it with a vital 82 with the bat in a 132-run stand alongside Temba Bavuma, followed by a brilliant, diving one-handed catch to remove Marnus Labuschagne in Australia's first innings.
"As a spinner, I love scoring runs," Harmer laughs. "I feel like taking wickets is my job, but I get a lot more gratification from scoring runs! And with the catch, when Marnus nicked it, it was instinctive. You either go or you don't. To see the back of him was incredibly gratifying."
As the squad packs their kitbags and looks ahead to the series decider in Cape Town, Harmer remains grounded, emphasising that the team's close-knit environment will carry them through the final leg of the tour.
"Without a doubt, it's one of the best dressing rooms I've been a part of," Harmer says. "Everyone's invested, everyone's pulling in the same direction, and it's a really fun group to be around.
"There's still a lot of cricket to be played in Cape Town, so we take the positives from this, make sure we learn from our mistakes, and put our best foot forward."