South Africa’s Simon Harmer Achieves 1,000 First-Class Wickets Milestone

South Africa levelled the Test series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi with eight-wicket win. Keshav Maharaj claimed 9 for 136 and Simon Harmer 8 for 125 to check the Pakistan batting. On day 4, Noman Ali’s wicket brought Harmer a special feat as this was his 1,000th wicket in first-class cricket. With limited overs cricket gradually eating the major chunk of the cricket calendar, the feats such as the 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket have become as rare as a batman recording a century of 100s in first-class cricket. Sachin Tendulkar recorded a hundred of 100s in international cricket but couldn’t do so in first-class cricket.

This is the reason many cricket pandit’s believe that the South Africa and Essex spinner Simon Harmer may be the last to claim 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket. No doubt, similar sentiments were expressed when Herath got there and thereafter when James Anderson touched the magical figure but with the county cricket season shrinking, the probability of registering the feat is continuously reducing.

Simon Harmer is the fourth South African to take 1,000 first class wickets and other three are: Charlie Llewellyn, Mike Procter & Alan Donald.

Overall, Harmer is the 217th bowler to take 1000 wickets in first-class cricket, but the first since 2021. On top of the list is Wilfred Rhodes, with 4204 wickets at 16.72. The rarity of the feat is also evident in the fact that whereas in continuously three decades starting from 1950s, at least 20 bowlers recorded this feat (maximum 25 in 1960s when county season involved more than 30 matches for a team), in 2010s only 3 bowlers recorded the feat and in 2020s, only Anderson and Harmer have so far touched the magical figure.

Of the 217, only 15 have done so in this century:

(In the order of career wickets)

Mushtaq Ahmed (1407 wickets, 25.67 average)

Muttiah Muralitharan (1374, 19.64)

Shane Warne (1319, 26.11)

Andy Caddick (1180, 26.59)

Robert Croft (1175, 35.08)

James Anderson (1143,24.54)

Anil Kumble (1136, 25.83)

Rangana Herath (1080, 25.15)

Martin Bicknell (1061, 25.06)

Phil Tufnell (1057, 29.35)

Devon Malcolm (1054, 30.33)

Wasim Akram (1042, 21.64)

Danish Kaneria (1023, 26.18)

Dinuka Hettiarachchi (1001, 23.51)

SE Harmer (1000, 26.34)

Incidentally, out of the above, only Anderson and Harmer began their career this century and achieved the feat.

All those who recorded the feat of 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket, could do so by playing in the English county cricket season. Bishan Singh Bedi was the first Indian bowler to record the feat, and he was also helped by the Northamptonshire opportunity. Harmer joined the 1,000 wicket club only because of his playing for Essex in the English summer, as a Kolpak player, which made him ineligible to play for South Africa. This resulted in playing more first-class cricket. His career profile includes only 12 Tests.

So, who will be the next? After Simon Harmer, the nearest to reaching 1,000 wickets is Sri Lanka’s Malinda Pushpakumara, who is 38, and has so far claimed 980 first-class wickets. He played his last first-class match in February 2025. Other top, current active players who may touch the 1,000-wicket mark are: Nathan Lyon 847, Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas 820, Chanaka Komasaru 749 and Kyle Abbott 708.

Many believe that among the current bowlers, the strongest candidate is Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas with age still under 36 and is active. He could focus on first-class cricket and in white ball cricket, played only three ODIs and not even one T20 Internationals in his career. In English cricket, he played for Hampshire and Leicestershire.

After recording the feat, Anderson had said, ‘A thousand wickets does seem like a lot.’.

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‘In this day and age, I don't know if it's possible to get that many first-class wickets anymore. With the amount of cricket that's played, there doesn't seem to be that longevity in bowlers anymore, and there's loads of T20 cricket and whatever else going on around the world. It feels a lot.’ He was not off the track.