Can England afford to leave its spinners isolated on South African soil? Simon Harmer says the England side should bring Jack Leach on the winter Test tour of his homeland.
Since Ben Stokes retired in June, England reshuffled their attack, pairing Dan Lawrence’s part‑time off‑spin with a quartet of fast bowlers – a setup they could keep for the three Tests starting Dec 17.
Harmer, a frontline off‑spinner for the Proteas and Essex stalwart, claimed 14 wickets in the three‑match series that saw South Africa beat Australia 2‑1, including a ten‑wicket haul in the deciding Cape Town Test.
Leach, Somerset’s left‑arm spinner, last wore England colours two years ago and lacks a central contract; selector Marcus North told the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast the board is heading in a different direction.
If you field a spinner at those venues, you need someone who can hold an end in the first innings, letting seamers rotate, attack and deliver four aggressive overs.
Without that control, reaching 90 overs a day becomes a nightmare and your seamers suffer; for me, Leach remains England’s best option.
I heard North on a podcast saying they’re moving away from him, and I just don’t get that logic.
Sure, some argue he doesn’t bowl teams out on day five, but the control he offers at South African venues makes him the obvious choice.
England must act now to boost spin development.
Harmer also named Shoaib Bashir, Yorkshire’s Dom Bess and Sussex’s Jack Carson as talent ready for the international stage, though they still need domestic guidance.
England have recently hired former Glamorgan coach and ex‑Yorkshire spinner Richard Dawson as elite national spin‑bowling lead to strengthen that department.
Harmer praised Carl Crowe, who he first met at the SA20 with Durban’s Super Giants, calling him a genius of spin who truly understands the craft.
He can’t fathom why Crowe isn’t used more in the county circuit.
It isn’t a shortage of resources, just a lack of desire to embed spin structures in the county game.
Consequently many spinners feel isolated, lacking the means to elevate their game.
That situation demands scrutiny – how are players developing when they’re outside the England set‑up?
Jeetan Patel works with national spinners, yet Harmer hasn’t seen him at county matches or scouting them.
England tend to wait until they have no spinners before reacting, instead of being proactive; good talent exists but lacks the tools to upskill.
When I bowled leg‑spin as a young first‑class player, knowledge gaps were glaring, especially for leg‑spin.
On my first Ashes tour I finally met specialists who truly understood leg‑spin, a stark contrast to the mystery back home.
That feeling still lingers today.