Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj welcomed the fifth 10-wicket haul of a 13-year first-class career, as Yorkshire beat Somerset by an innings and 73 runs in the County Championship Division One earlier this week.

Maharaj claimed figures of 7-52 in the first innings and 3-75 in the second at Headingley in Leeds. Yorkshire teammate and former Proteas fast bowler Duanne Olivier took two in the first and none in the second.

Countryman Simon Harmer, meanwhile, snared eight wickets in Essex’s 187-run triumph over Warwickshire in Chelmsford. Harmer was first-class cricket’s leading wicket-taker last year and has the most in this season’s Division One. He has clinched 65 in 10 matches at an average of under 18.

The 30-year-old Harmer is one of three South Africans among the 2019 Division One’s top wicket-takers. The others are fast bowlers Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott, who have gathered 45 in nine matches and 37 in 10, respectively.

Test opener Dean Elgar is playing for Surrey and has garnered 543 runs in 17 innings at an average of under 32. South Africa’s Heino Kuhn passed 500 runs for the season for Kent earlier this month and is averaging under 30.

In Division Two, former Boland cricketer Ricardo Vasconcelos is starring for Northamptonshire and ex-Proteas Test batsman Stiaan van Zyl remains key to Sussex’s campaign.

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