Tue Oct 14 06:20:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**Harmer Returns to South Africa Test Squad for Pakistan Tour After Injury to Maharaj**
**Lahore, Pakistan – October 11, 2025** – Veteran off-spinner Simon Harmer, 36, has been recalled to the South Africa Test squad for their upcoming series against Pakistan, starting tomorrow in Lahore. The recall comes after first-choice spinner Keshav Maharaj suffered a groin strain during South Africa’s recent tour of England, rendering him unavailable for the first Test.
Harmer, who last played a Test for South Africa in 2023 against West Indies, brings much-needed experience to the spin department in conditions expected to favor slow bowling. He has 10 Test appearances to his name since debuting in 2015. While other spinners like Dane Piedt, Senuran Muthusamy, and Prenelan Subrayan have been selected ahead of him in recent series, the specific conditions expected in Pakistan and Maharaj’s injury opened the door for his return.
“Pakistan is one of the tougher places to tour,” said South Africa coach Shukri Conrad. “And with spin-friendly conditions expected and Keshav only available from the second game, it was important to have an experienced campaigner like Simon in the squad to provide extra depth in the spin department.”
While Harmer’s inclusion in the squad provides depth, his place in the starting XI is not guaranteed. South Africa could opt to play three spinners, utilizing Harmer alongside Subrayan and Muthusamy. Another option would be to bolster the batting lineup by including Wiaan Mulder or bring in Marco Jansen as a second seamer alongside Kagiso Rabada, leaving space for two specialist spinners.
“We’ve got to look at how we structure our line-up in terms of balance,” said Conrad. “We expect extreme spin in Pakistan. It’s about whether we go with two quicks… and then how many batters, how many spinners. We’ve got three spinners available for the first Test.”
The first Test between Pakistan and South Africa begins tomorrow, October 12, in Lahore.
First Piper 