South Africa’s right-arm off-break bowler Simon Harmer feels strongly that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) “control the ICC because of their commercial power.”
Harmer feels that players need to continue to win trophies to change the narrative. The 37-year-old recently sat down with the Guardian for an interview. He said that South Africa’s ICC Men’s World Test Championship win won’t suffice, and they need to add more trophies to their cabinet to shift the balance of power.
Harmer has made a name for himself in County Cricket. Since 2017, he has become synonymous with Essex’s spin bowling and has claimed 522 first-class wickets for them. He has won two County Championship titles for Essex and also has a Bob Willis Trophy to show for. Harmer said that he loves to dissect the techniques of batters and work them out.
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“I love working out [a batter],” Harmer told the Guardian. “That’s what gets me going. What’s he looking to do, where is he looking to score, what’s easy, what’s difficult, what field will get me a wicket? I love all that. That is the art for me.”
Harmer feels that he still has two more seasons of County Cricket left in him. He is pursuing a law degree and aims to become a barrister.
Simon Harmer opens up on growth and role of English spinners
The right-arm off-break bowler also said that there is no dearth of spin-bowling talent in England. But in the same vein, he opined that there is a lack of fight in the English cricketers.
“It’s not a lack of resources, you’ve got 18 counties,” he says. “But how many have a spin-bowling coach? Probably two or three.” Talent is not the issue. “Somebody can have all the skills in the world, but when it hits, if they run for the hills, it doesn’t matter how good they are. I think English cricketers don’t always have that fight in them.”
