Harmer ended as the leading wicket-taker in Division One after picking up 6-49 in the second innings at Northampton. Set a target of 211 runs to win, Northamptonshire were rocked early, but captain Will Young started off aggressively, hitting Harmer for a four on the second ball of the 16th over.

The spinner got his revenge just three deliveries later as he dismissed Young with a delivery that turned in sharply. The batter offered no shot, stepping outside of the line, only to see the ball rise up out of the rough, turn in, spin past his legs and rattle the leg stump. It was reminiscent of the wonder-ball that the late Shane Warne had sent down to Andrew Strauss in the 2005 Ashes, where the ball ragged back from wide outside the off-stump and crashed into the leg-stump.

Essex won the clash by 47 runs as Harmer ended with 59 wickets – one more than Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott in Division One.

Watch Simon Harmer dismiss Will Young here:

What a delivery this is from Simon Harmer!#CountyCricket2022pic.twitter.com/PgMfuKYePa

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 29, 2022

Absolute magic from Harmer, there are no other words to describe it 🤯

Harmer flights it up outside off and Young shapes to pad it up only for the ball to spin past his legs and smash into leg stump.

Reminiscent of Warne to Strauss in the '05 Ashes 😍

☝️ @ItsTradeNation pic.twitter.com/mAGuo86nhh

— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) September 29, 2022