'I am trying to get it completed' - Simon Harmer occupied with law assignments amid quarantine ahead of New Zealand Tests

Cricket is never the same ever since the COVID-19 virus came in the picture. The pandemic made terms like ‘isolation’ and ‘quarantine’ popular as players have to confine themselves for certain period of the time ahead of any series or tournament. The same is the case for South African team, which is currently in New Zealand for a two-match Test series, getting underway on February 17.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer is also a part of South Africa’s squad and unlike most of his teammates, the 32-year-old is not too used with isolation. Having made his last Test appearance in 2015, Harmer earned a recall for this series amid the end of the Kolpak era in South African cricket. Interestingly, Harmer, who’s currently confined at a hotel in Christchurch, is making a fruitful utilization of the isolation period.

The veteran cricketer is studying law through the UK’s Open University and has an assignment to submit on Thursday (February 10). Hence, he’s using the quarantine time to completing the pending assignments. Meanwhile, Harmer shared a funny story of how he chose to study law.

I found out law was an interesting field: Simon Harmer

“I am trying to get it (assignments) completed and it has given me something to do. I got myself into trouble when I was about 18 months out of school. I was kind of floating around and did not know what I wanted to do in terms of studies,” said Harmer in a virtual press conference.

“I didn’t know what to do studies wise and I got myself into trouble with the law. So I sort of found out through that that it was an interesting field and that is how I stumbled into law,” he added. Harmer also said he wants a back-up career option for his aspirations after retiring from cricket.

“I have always understood that I have got my time in the sun in terms of my cricket career and that one day that is going to come to an end and the sun is going to set. I need something to fall back on in terms of my future family and the aspirations and dreams that I want to achieve in my life post cricket,” explained Harmer further.