SA20: Simon Harmer Joins Durban Super Giants As Temporary Replacement For Sunil Narine

Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) have signed South African off-spinner Simon Harmer as a temporary replacement for West Indies off-spin bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine ahead of the commencement of Season Four, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

“Narine will arrive at Kingsmead for his maiden SA20 season after completing his commitments elsewhere,” stated a release from the tournament. Harmer returns to Kingsmead after spending the last two seasons with Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC), where he was part of their season two championship-winning squad, taking eight wickets in 11 matches.

Harmer, 36, joins DSG following a remarkable performance with the Proteas Test side, during which he dismantled the batting line-ups of Pakistan and India. In October,

he claimed 6-50 in the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, leading South Africa to their first Test victory there in 18 years and reaching the milestone of 1,000 first-class wickets.

His spin bowling skills shone against India, where he took 17 wickets at an average of 8.94, aiding South Africa, the current World Test Championship winners, in securing a 2-0 Test series win. Harmer began with figures of 4-30 and 4-21 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, giving South Africa their first Test victory on Indian soil since 2010.

His performances of 3-64 and 6-37 in the second Test at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati sealed a 408-run victory and South Africa’s first Test series win in India in 25 years. Harmer previously played four matches for DSG in SA20 season one before moving to SEC, where he made three appearances in season three.

Durban’s Super Giants, owned by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, which also owns the Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants, is based in Durban and was established in 2022. The team’s home ground is the Kingsmead Cricket Ground, and it is coached by Lance Klusener.

(With IANS Inputs)