Simon Harmer reached a remarkable milestone by becoming only the fourth South African to take 1000 wickets in first-class cricket. The others on that list are Charlie Llewellyn (1013), Mike Procter (1417), and Allan Donald (1216).
Harmer, who made his first-class debut in November 2009, is also one of only two bowlers from the 21st century to reach this mark. England’s James Anderson, who debuted in May 2002, was the first, reaching 1000 wickets in July 2021. Since his debut, Harmer is the only bowler with over 900 wickets, with Sri Lanka’s Malinda Pushpakumara next on 874.
In England, Harmer has been a dominant force in county cricket. He has taken 514 first-class wickets there, 513 for Essex since 2017 and one for South Africa in a Test in 2022. No other bowler has crossed 500 wickets in England during this period, with Kyle Abbott next on 442. Harmer’s 35 five-wicket hauls and 10 ten-wicket match hauls are also the most by any bowler in England since 2017. Among spinners, only Jack Leach, with 304 wickets, has taken even half of Harmer’s tally.
At home in South Africa, Harmer has claimed 453 first-class wickets, the second-most since his debut, behind only Shaun von Berg’s 522. Across his career, he has 58 five-wicket hauls, behind only Pushpakumara (80) and Gayan Sirisoma (61) in this period. R Ashwin is the only other bowler with over 50 five-fors since 2009.
Harmer’s performance in Rawalpindi was his first five-wicket haul outside England and South Africa. He has played just 11 first-class games outside these two countries.
At Chelmsford, Essex’s home ground, Harmer has taken 331 wickets. Only Tim Murtagh has taken more wickets at a single ground in the last 20 years, with 374 at Lord’s. Harmer also has 27 five-wicket hauls and ten ten-wicket match hauls at Chelmsford, the most at any venue over the past two decades.
He is now the 20th left-arm orthodox spinner to reach 1000 first-class wickets. Before him, Robert Croft was the last offspinner to achieve this in 2007.
Harmer’s numbers show his quiet dominance. His achievements in South Africa, England, and around the world prove he is one of the finest bowlers of his generation.
