Simon Harmer
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Pretoria, Transvaal Province, South Africa
 Harmer in 2025, playing for Essex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Simon Ross Harmer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 February 1989 Pretoria, Transvaal Province, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 321) | 2 January 2015 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 14 November 2025 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009/10–2011/12 | Eastern Province | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010/11–2018/19 | Warriors (squad no. 11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016/17 | Border | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–present | Essex (squad no. 11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Jozi Stars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020/21 | Titans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021/22–present | Northerns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022/23, 2025/26 | Durban's Super Giants | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023/24–2024/25 | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 12 April 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simon Ross Harmer (born 10 February 1989) is a South African international cricketer. He plays for South Africa primarily as an off-break bowler but is also a capable lower order batsman. He plays domestic cricket in South Africa for Titans, and in England for Essex.
South Africa
Harmer debuted for Warriors in the 2010–2011 first class season against the Cape Cobras claiming 5/98 in the first innings and 1/53 in the second innings to go along with his 46 and 69 runs with the bat.[1] He became a regular fixture in Warriors side in the 2011–2012 side, ending the season as leading wicket taker in his full rookie season, claiming 44 wickets.[2]
In October 2018, Harmer was named in Jozi Stars' squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament.[3][4] He was the leading wicket-taker for Warriors in the 2018–19 CSA 4-Day Franchise Series, with 27 dismissals in seven matches.[5] In September 2019, he was named in the squad for the Jozi Stars team for the 2019 Mzansi Super League tournament.[6]
In April 2021, Harmer was named in Northerns' squad, ahead of the 2021–22 cricket season in South Africa.[7]
England
Ahead of the 2017 season, Harmer signed for Essex County Cricket Club as a Kolpak player.[8] In June, in the 2017 County Championship, Harmer took 9 wickets for 95 runs in the second innings against Middlesex.[9][10] He was the first bowler for Essex to take nine wickets in an innings since Mark Ilott in 1995, and he finished with career-best match figures of 14 for 172.[11]
Harmer continued his form and took the wicket which confirmed Essex as Champions in the win against Warwickshire. Harmer finished the 2017 season with the second-highest haul in the Country in terms of wickets taken, with 72 wickets at 19.19. Although neither he, nor his team, hit the same heights in 2018, he still managed 57 wickets at 24.45 each and provided useful runs batting at number eight in the batting order.[12]
In September 2019, Harmer captained Essex County Cricket Club to their first ever T20 Blast victory against the Worcestershire County Cricket Club after taking 7 wickets across both the semi-final and final on Finals Day, the most by any bowler on a T20 English Domestic Finals Day. In April 2020 he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his T20 and Championship performances for Essex in the 2019 season in the 2020 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.[13]
In 2019 Harmer expressed a desire to play for the England national team, but due to a variety of immigration regulation changes in the wake of Brexit in 2020, this proved impossible and he abandoned the idea in 2021.[14]