After losing the first Test match of the 2025 year, South Africa were under pressure to make a strong comeback during the second of the two-match Test series against Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Islamabad. They were up against the challenging spinning surfaces in the subcontinent and needed to pick wickets in the first innings to restrict the batting side to a low score. 

On a flat surface for the second game, both the Pakistani opening batters provided them a golden platform in the middle. Both Imam-Ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique negotiated the new ball spell from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen before cashing in when the spinners came into attack with an aggressive mindset.

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Aiden Markram introduced Simon Harmer into the attack on the 13th over just before the drinks break. On the third ball, the spinner dismissed Imam on 17 runs. It was a tossed-up delivery drifting in towards leg-stump on a length as the left-handed batter hung back to keep it out, but it pitched up and turned away venomously to square the batter up.

Watch: Simon Harmer's spining delivery outfoxes Imam Ul Haq during PAK vs SA 2nd Rawalpindi Test 

The left-handed opening batter flew past the outside edge of Imam and hit the top of the off stump. That was the dream delivery from the spinner, who celebrated with his teammates. It was the opening that the Proteas needed badly to get themselves back into the clash. However, it didn’t make much difference as Shan Masood and Shafique both celebrated their respective half-centuries with the bat.

What a magical delivery imam ul haq out#PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/e0tnvP9i7f

— 🐼♥️ (@ahsan_shah90) October 20, 2025

Harmer, who played for Essex for a long time in the County Championship, has now taken his wicket tally to 993 wickets in 405 innings at an average of around 27 and a strike rate of nearly nine overs, with the best bowling figures of 9/80 in an innings with 57 five-wicket hauls.

In the last game at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Harmer was smacked for 101 runs for taking one wicket. He made a good comeback in the second innings to claim four wickets, even though they went 1-0 down with the defeat.