Proteas spinner Simon Harmer showed gratitude to Test captain Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad for affording him the opportunity to play Test cricket again.
About seven to eight years ago, South African cricket found itself losing key talents to lucrative deals in the United Kingdom.
One of those talents was Simon Harmer, who signed a Kolpak deal with Essex, essentially ruling out the idea of playing international cricket for the duration of the contract.
Harmer signed the deal after being dropped from the Test squad in the 2015-16 season, as his hopes of playing Test cricket looked grim with spinners Dane Piedt and Keshav Maharaj having taken up space in the Proteas Test team at the time.
Harmer wasn’t alone, as former Proteas fast bowlers Kyle Abbott and Duan Olivier, to name a few, also went the Kolpak route, as they looked to secure their financial future through the lucrative deals.
Following his Play of the Series award in India on Wednesday, Harmer went down memory lane, reflecting on the time he signed the Kolpak deal.
The 36-year-old emphasised that he made that decision knowing fully well what he was getting himself into and that he wanted to make the most of his talents.
“When I signed the Kolpak agreement, part of that agreement you sign a declaration to say that you’ll never play for your country,” Harmer told the reporters.
“I made peace with the fact that this was the decision that I was taking. I’ve always believed that I wanted to make the most of my talents.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, to be able to look back at the end of the career and say that I was the best version of Simon Harmer that I could be.”
Going to the UK proved very fruitful for Harmer.
Despite having played only 14 Tests in the past decade, Harmer got to play First-Class cricket with and against some of the best players in the world in the UK, where many Test players from all over the world tend to go and apply their trade, a feat he most likely wouldn’t have tasted had he not taken the deal.
Harmer highlighted that he never thought he would play Test cricket again, let alone coming back to India and taking 17 wickets at an average of eight and leading the Proteas to a historic Test series victory on Indian soil.
The 36-year-old showed gratitude to captain Bavuma and coach Conrad for affording him the opportunity to return to India, where he did not have the best of tours in 2015, and redeem himself.
“The steps I took when I was dropped from the national side to try and get better, I just wanted to be able to turn around and say that I left no stone unturned and I tried as much as I could,” Harmer said.
“Never in a million years did I think that I would have another shot at international cricket. Never in a million years did I think that I would come to India again. To be here, to win 2-0, to be man of the series, it’s pretty special and somewhat surreal.
“I think it’ll take some time for it to sink in and to digest, but I think it’s very special and I’m very happy with the way that things have panned out.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunities that Temba and Shukri have given me, believing in me and giving me the opportunity to come back and play Test cricket.”
South Africa beat India by 408 runs in the second and final Test in Guwahati, and secured a 2-0 series sweep, their first series triumph on Indian soil in 25 years.
