The SA20 is scheduled to start on December 26, and South Africa’s festive cricket season will not only be lit, but it is also going to be a major clash with the Boxing Day Ashes Test. The country has a buzzing franchise cricket atmosphere and the Durban Super Giants are among the first teams to reinforce their squads for the tournament’s initial stage. 

Simon Harmer’s brilliant Test performance gives a very welcome boost as Narine is out for the first few SA20 games

Durban have reported the acquisition of the veteran Proteas off-spinner Simon Harmer, who will stand in short term for Sunil Narine. Narine is presently in UAE for ILT20 which runs until January 4, 2026. This means Narine will not participate in the initial five SA20 matches, which is the time Harmer is expected to have a big impact during his tenure.

Harmer comes back to Kingsmead in fantastic form. It is true that his SA20 stats so far aren’t that impressive, he has taken only 9 wickets in 23 matches, but his recent red-ball performances testify to his talent. The 36-year-old was remarkable during South Africa’s recent Test trip, first he made 6/50 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi to complete a historic Proteas’ victory and he also reached the milestone of 1,000 first-class wickets.

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He then went a step further in India, showing the world his best cricket. He got 17 wickets and took them at an unbelievable **Dale Steyn’s 8.94 average during the two Tests; thus he broke the record for most wickets by a South African in a Test series in India. He was the star of the match for South Africa with his 6/37 in Guwahati that made the series 2-0 in their favor - thus marking their first Test series win in India after a long gap of 25 years.

Harmer's and the batting strength of Durban keep Super Giants at the right place even early in Season 4

The team of Durban still stays quite strong in terms of balance. The batting unit, which is headed by Aiden Markram and Jos Buttler, with Heinrich Klaasen and David Wiese in the middle, offers quite a lot of firepower even when Narine is not playing.

Narine is anticipated to come to the squad after he is back from his overseas duties; this will be his first SA20 appearance for the Super Giants. Until then, the firepower of Harmer's experience, control, and super-hot form gives Durban a dependable option as they look for a strong beginning in Season 4.