Simon Harmer speaks to the media in Durban on October 7, 2023 before the forthcoming Test match, and has made the case for the Durban location to give considerable help to spin bowlers.
The off-spinner pointed to previous data at the ground and said playing two spinners at Kingsmead was a viable option to consider. His idea was vividly proven in Bangladesh’s second innings at Kingsmead in April 2022. Keshav Maharaj bagged 7-32 and Harmer 3-21 as Bangladesh were all out for 53. In that innings South Africa just needed Maharaj and Simon Harmer as their bowlers.
What South Africa’s recent Australia series revealed with spin possibilities
The September 2026 ODI series between South Africa and Australia also added more fuel to the spin issue, but the format and conditions were different than a Kingsmead Test. South Africa won the series 2-1 and their spinners took 12 wickets in the series at an economy rate of 5.05.
South Africa won the second ODI by 32 runs at the Wanderers. In that match, Aiden Markram and Bjorn Fortuin combined to take 5 wickets for 179 runs in 30 overs. Simon Harmer conceded Australia’s ODI batters haven’t dealt with spin as well as they would have liked but was wary of reading too much into that before the Test. He said,
What’s the effect of pitch and technique elements on the spin threat at Kingsmead?
Simon Harmer also spoke about the bounce in South African conditions and how it influences the way batters from different places play spin. The bounce was similar to Australia, which in turn affects how the non-Asian hitters approach spin bowling,” he said. He spoke of the technical variations between subcontinent and non-subcontinent batsmen when facing spin on bouncy surfaces.
Maharaj’s statistics of 5-123 and 4-102 in the first Test of the series at Kingsmead in March 2018 also gave weight to the claim that the venue has a history of appreciating left-arm spin in particular.
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Simon Harmer remarks indicated that South Africa were at least thinking about playing two specialist spinners if the Kingsmead pitch delivered the expected help.
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