Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) have signed South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer as a temporary replacement for West Indies off-spin bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine ahead of Season Four’s commencement, announced the tournament.
“Narine will arrive at Kingsmead for his maiden SA20 season after completing his commitments elsewhere,” stated the tournament. Harmer returns to Kingsmead after spending the past two seasons with Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC), where he contributed to their season two championship-winning squad by taking eight wickets in 11 matches.
Exceptional Form
Harmer, 36, joins DSG in exceptional form after an impressive run with the Proteas Test side. He dismantled the batting line-ups of Pakistan and India, including claiming 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 remarkable spin bowling performance continued against India, where he captured 17 wickets at an average of 8.94. South Africa, the current World Test Championship winners, secured a 2-0 Test series win. His series began with figures of 4-30 and 4-21 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, marking South Africa’s first Test victory on Indian soil since 2010.
In the second Test at ACA Stadium in Guwahati, his spells of 3-64 and 6-37 sealed a 408-run victory, resulting in South Africa’s first Test series win in India in 25 years. Harmer previously played four matches for DSG in SA20 season one before transferring to SEC, where he appeared three times in season three.
Team Background
Durban’s Super Giants, owned by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (which also owns IPL team Lucknow Super Giants), is based in Durban and was formed in 2022. The team’s home ground is Kingsmead Cricket Ground, and they are coached by Lance Klusener.