History-making Harmer in rampant form before Proteas' Test series: 'What he does is an art'

"Bazball", the term recently coined for England's attack style of play in Test cricket under new coach Brendon McCullum, and how to counter it has been the big talking point before the Proteas take them on in a three-match series next month.

Yet the South Africans - now focused on an ODI skirmish with the world champions - will be very happy that two of their red-ball squad members are quietly gaining some imperious form in county cricket.

Simon Harmer, who marked his return to international cricket in the series against Bangladesh with 13 wickets earlier this year, has been rampant for his longtime side Essex in completing a unique piece of history too. 

The 33-year-old off-spinner on Wednesday harvested a match haul of 13/156 as his team thrashed Gloucestershire, coached by former Proteas assistant coach Dale Benkenstein, by nine wickets.

Harmer had put Essex on the front foot immediately with figures of 5/44 in the first innings, before a marathon spell in the second dig saw him pick up 8/112.

Astonishingly, his last two outings have delivered 28 scalps as he boasted even more prolific figures in the previous match against Hampshire, where he took 8/46 and 7/161 in a tense victory.

In the process, Harmer became the first bowler since 1939 to twice take 13+ wickets in consecutive first-class matches.

He achieved the same feat in his first county campaign back in 2017.

Simon Harmer has taken 13+ wickets in his last two first-class matches. He also did this in 2017.He is the first player to have taken 13+ wickets in consecutive first-class matches twice since Tom Goddard in 1939.

Andy McGrath, Essex's head coach, was glowing in his praise of his deadly wicket-taker, admitting that it's starting to become easy to merely "expect"