Harmer's just grateful to play Test cricket again

PROTEAS spinner Simon Harmer showed gratitude to Test captain Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad for affording him the opportunity to play Test cricket again.

- ONGAMA GCWABE

PROTEAS bowler Simon Harmer (second right) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of India's KL Rahul during the fourth day of the second Test match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. | AFP

(AFP)

About seven to eight years ago, South African cricket found itself losing key talents to lucrative deals in the United Kingdom.

One of those talents was Simon Harmer, who signed a Kolpak deal with Essex, essentially ruling out the idea of playing international cricket for the duration of the contract.

Harmer signed the deal after being dropped from the Test squad in the 2015-16 season, as his hopes of playing Test cricket looked grim with spinners Dane Piedt and Keshav Maharaj having taken up space in the Proteas Test team at the time.

Harmer wasn't alone, as former Proteas fast bowlers Kyle Abbott and Duan Olivier, to name a few, also went the Kolpak route, as they looked to secure their financial future through the lucrative deals.