South Africa blitz Australia in the cricket. But who is Simon Harmer?

Things did not go well for the Australian men’s cricket team over the weekend, in South Africa. They lost the third test, played in Cape Town, by one-hundred-and-seventy-six runs, handing South Africa the three match series, two games to one. I sat down to watch one session, and looked on in disbelief as Simon Harmer, a South African spin bowler, tore through the Australian batting line up. Spin bowling is a method of delivery that is slower than pace or fast bowling, but can be far more unpredictable, depending how the bowler manipulates the ball with their wrist and fingers. The condition of the playing pitch can also aid spin bowlers, as it deteriorates throughout the game. Harmer ended up taking ten wickets, out of a possible twenty, across both Australian innings. Until now though, I’d never heard of him. This was surprising given he seems to be of the same pedigree as late Australian spin bowler, Shane Warne. The picture was all the more puzzling as Harmer first played for South…