Simon Harmer's Debut Shows South Africa Are Keen to Test Their Depth

It’s not often that South Africa hands out four new Test caps in four consecutive Tests. In fact, the last time it happened was in the late 1950s.

Part of what has made the South African Test team so successful has been their consistency in selection, but over the last few months, that has been forced to change. Retirements, injuries and, most recently, poor form have seen new players ushered into the fray.

Simon Harmer, South Africa’s newest recruit, became the latest in the production pipeline to enjoy a fruitful return in his first international outing.

Harmer’s call-up might have come as a bit of a surprise, even to the man himself, who admitted as much at the close-of-play press conference.

"If you told me 10 days ago I’d be sitting here right now, I’d have slapped you. It was great to get the call up to the squad, but I had a feeling I wasn’t actually going to play. I always try to play things down a little and find the reasons I shouldn’t play, so I was surprised to be told the day before the start of the Test that I’d be replacing Imran (Tahir)."

Tahir earned a recall during the second Test in Port Elizabeth following an injury to Robin Peterson, but his lack of patience and inability to use his variations properly means that he is limited as a bowler in the longest format of the game.

Many expected Dane Piedt, the spinner who made his debut in Zimbabwe a few months ago, to return to Newlands, but that was not the case. Piedt has only just recovered from shoulder surgery, which ruled him out of action for three months. He has played one club game and one domestic game since returning, and there is an air of caution around getting him back to international action.

Therefore, it was the perfect time to give Harmer a run. Having finished second on the wicket-takers list last season and sitting second for this season, Harmer has been knocking on the selection door for quite some time. With one eye on this year’s fixtures, selectors thought it’d be a good option to see what the stockpile holds.

The Proteas have two Tests in Bangladesh and four in India coming up this year, so there is no better time to give their spin arsenal a run. While playing in turning conditions against players who are more accustomed to playing spin is a far bigger task than playing against an apathetic West Indies team, both have showed promise.

South Africa now have not one but two adequate spinners at their disposal. Piedt is a cunning spinner who can keep things tidy, while Harmer is slightly more attacking but equally cunning.

Having two reliable spinners in their arsenal is a notion which seemed inconceivable to South Africa just over a year ago. While the batting changes have been forced, South Africa have not been afraid to test the depth of their bowling line-up. Overall, though, the last four Tests have been a blessing in disguise for South Africa.

In Stiaan van Zyl, they have unearthed a gem of a batsman who can bat top or middle order. Temba Bavuma still has to prove himself with the bat, but his fielding has been exceptional.

Going into a demanding year of Test cricket, it can only be good news for the Proteas that their backup players perform consistently well.  

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.