Harmer

Simon Harmer picked a career-best 6-16 as South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs to clinch Test series 2-1.

Australia ‌captain Pat Cummins said it was fair to ask questions about his side after they ⁠slipped to two heavy ⁠defeats in a row against hosts South Africa to lose the three-match series 2-1 at Newlands on Saturday.

Set 288 for victory, Australia were rocked early on and could ⁠manage only 111 to lose the third Test by 176 runs, following their defeat by an innings and 31 runs in the second match in the series.

Australia next host New Zealand, and Cummins ⁠said the series loss meant questions were inevitable as South Africa took over from them as the number one side in the Test world rankings.

“We lost two games in a row. I think it’s fair to be asking questions and we’ll be asking them internally as well,” Cummins told reporters. “We are a very good ‌side, but I think we need to get a little bit better if we want to get back to number one [in the world].

“Maybe that’s a change of style, maybe it’s a change of personnel in some instances. We’ll work it out.”

Cummins made the surprise decision to bowl first after winning the toss on the first morning, something that had been done only 11 times before in Tests at Newlands since 1889.

As it proved, batting last was difficult on a wearing ⁠surface, and Australia fell to the spin of Simon Harmer, who took ⁠career-best figures of 10-120 in the match.

“We knew it was going to be a high-scoring game,” Cummins said. “We probably thought it was going to do a little bit more on day one than it did.

“You don’t win the toss and think you’re ⁠going to bowl the opposition out for 100 or 200, but we thought we could get 10 wickets on day one and that would ⁠put us right ahead of the game.”

Cummins said poor decisions cost ⁠his batters and that their chase was as good as over in the first half-hour of the day.

“Chasing 280-odd was never going to be easy, but we all turned up today and saw a pretty clear path forward. I thought it was ‌achievable, but we never really gave ourselves a chance,” he said.

“There were a few really poor decisions. I know it’s a day-five wicket, but I don’t think it was drastic. There were runs to ‌be ‌scored out there; there were lots of balls to face.

“I think there are a few decisions the boys would like back. We have to get better. It’s happened a few times now.”

Dani Harmer has reunited with her Tracy Beaker co-star Nisha Nayer more than 20 years after the hit CBBC show came to an end and fans were quick to react to the surprise social media post

Dani Harmer has reunited with her Tracy Beaker co-star Nisha Nayer more than 20 years after the hit CBBC show ended.

The actress, 37, was just 12 years old when she was cast in the title role of The Story of Tracy Beaker and, over the course of five series, played the tough care home kid who fantasised that her mum was a Hollywood star. Nisha played Elaine ‘The Pain’ Boyak, an incompetent social worker who was often at odds with Tracy.

The series, which is based on the books by Dame Jacqueline Wilson, aired from 2002 until 2005. The two former co-stars reunited on social media ahead of their debut at Swansea Comic Con on Sunday and urged fans to come along.

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Fans of the hit TV series rushed to the comments section to see two beloved characters reunited, with one writing: “Way too surreal seeing Elaine the Paine and Cheeky Beaker getting along like BFFs. I reckon Dani is hiding a butcher knife behind, LOL,” to which Dani responded: “Nah, she’s my bestie in real life!”

Another fan joked: “Was not expecting these two to be so happy to be in the same room,” whilst a third said: “Ahhhhh! The most iconic duo everrrrrr.”

After Tracy Beaker ended, a spin-off, Tracy Beaker Returns, followed, in which the titular character returned to work in care. When Dani opted to leave the series, it was retooled into The Dumping Ground, which is still being produced for CBBC after more than a decade on air.

Outside of Tracy Beaker, Dani has competed on Strictly Come Dancing, starred in the sitcoms Dani’s House and Dani’s Castle and ultimately returned to her signature role in 2021 for My Mum Tracy Beaker and The Beaker Girls. Prior to landing the part of Tracy, Dani had starred in West End productions of The Who’s Tommy and Annie, and is a regular in pantomime.

Meanwhile, prior to being cast as Elaine on Tracy Beaker, Nisha became known as Debra Kumar in the film Out of Hours and went on to appear in Doctor Who, Holby City and The Bay.

Other cast members of the original Tracy Beaker included former Casualty actress Lisa Coleman, who played Tracy’s foster mum Cam Lawson, and Clive Rowe, who has more recently appeared in sitcom So Awkward and the BBC’s The Hairdresser Mysteries, starred as care home chef Duke.

Just weeks ago, actress Montanna Thompson, who played Tracy’s rival Justine Littlewood, revealed that she initially landed the role of Tracy before Dame Jacqueline Wilson stepped in. “I didn’t actually audition for Justine,” Montanna said.

Speaking on the Embarrassing For No Reason podcast, the actress, 37, went on to add: “I auditioned for Tracy, and I got the phone call, and they said, ‘Oh, you’ve got the part as Tracy.’ So me and my mum was jumping around…

“We was all jumping around and celebrating and then an hour later, I get a call from the BBC. Jacqueline Wilson said she wanted to keep the illustration of Tracy original. So I was like ‘Ok’, and they was like ‘Would you like to be Justine?’ so I was like ‘Yeah, ok, great’.”

Montanna went on to tell hosts Sam Darlaston and Tatum McGreal that her mother was asked if she would “cut her hair off” as Dame Jacqueline wanted Justine to have a bob. “My mum said, ‘Well, no, not really,'” she explained. I think that’s why Justine has got the plaits, and they made that character like that.”

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