Simon Harmer addressed the media in Durban on October 7, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Test match, and made a case for the Durban venue offering meaningful assistance to spin bowlers.
The off-spinner pointed to historical evidence at the ground and suggested that playing two spinners at Kingsmead was a realistic option worth considering. The Bangladesh second innings at Kingsmead in April 2022 illustrated his point clearly. Keshav Maharaj took 7-32 and Harmer took 3-21 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 53. Maharaj and Harmer were the only bowlers South Africa required in that innings.
“Traditionally coastal wickets do offer assistance for the spinners. If I think back to the Bangladesh series (in March and April 2022) there was turn on offer here, but against West Indies at the Wanderers (in March 2023) there was also a turn on offer,” Harmer said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
What did the recent Australia ODI series show about South Africa’s spin options?
South Africa’s ODI series against Australia in September 2026 provided further context for the spin debate, even though the format and conditions differed from a Kingsmead Test. South Africa won the series 2-1, and their spinners claimed 12 wickets across the series at an economy rate of 5.05.
In the second ODI at the Wanderers, South Africa won by 32 runs. Maharaj, Aiden Markram and Bjorn Fortuin combined to take 5 wickets for 179 runs in 30 overs in that match. Harmer acknowledged that Australia’s ODI batters did not handle spin as well as they might have hoped, but he was careful not to read too much into that ahead of the Test. He said,
“They didn’t play spin as well as they probably would have wanted to, but Test cricket is a different kettle of fish. And they have different personnel coming in. So I hope they don’t play spin well again, but we’re expecting them to play it well,” Harmer said.
How do pitch and technique factors shape the spin threat at Kingsmead?
Harmer also spoke about how the bounce in South African conditions affects the way batters from different regions handle spin. He noted that the bounce in South Africa is comparable to Australia, which influences how non-Asian batters approach spin bowling. He elaborated on the technical differences between subcontinental and non-subcontinental batters when facing spin on bouncy surfaces.
“The bounce (in South Africa) is similar to Australia. Subcontinent players play with very low hands because the ball doesn’t bounce as much (in Asia), so a lot of balls came off the glove in that (Bangladesh) series. Non-subcontinent players play out in front of their body a lot more. They like to play the ball nice and late. If you look at how guys cut it’s almost out of the wicketkeeper’s gloves and it goes behind point. We (non-Asians) try and murder it in front of square and get one run,” Harmer siad.
Maharaj’s figures from the March 2018 first Test at Kingsmead, where he took 5-123 and 4-102, added further weight to the argument that the ground has a history of rewarding left-arm spin in particular. Harmer’s comments suggested South Africa were at least open to fielding two specialist spinners if the Kingsmead surface offered the expected assistance.
