"My father's house has been fully destroyed" - Emotional Blair Tickner reveals how cyclone Gabrielle has affected his family
New Zealand paceman Blair Tickner recently opened up on how Cyclone Gabrielle has taken a toll on him and his family. The right-arm pacer revealed that he found it hard to get by during his Test debut against England last week.
Tickner shared an Instagram post, lamenting the consequences the storm had on his hometown of Hawkes' Bay.
Ahead of the second Test against England in Wellington, starting on Thursday, February 23, the 29-year-old struggled to fight back his tears while speaking to the media.
The right-arm paceman thanked the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for allowing him and Central Districts teammate Will Young some time off to help their hometown recuperate from the storm. As quoted by Sfuff.co.nz, he said:
"My father's house has been fully destroyed. It was good to get back, help them. It's just hard times for the whole region so helping out neighbors and whoever we could. It's been tough, it's really tough at the moment, but Hawke's Bay is staying strong. Obviously, I grew up there as a kid … it's just crazy to be honest. It's a bit hard to talk about, really."
Tickner also revealed how his father made an effort to watch the first Test at the stadium, especially his maiden Test wicket.
"You dream about your test debut forever and expect your family to be there … my dad was good enough to come through, taking generators down to Hawke's Bay to help people. He just stopped in for about half an hour, luckily saw my first test wicket and then went on to a seven-hour drive home to help everyone. Luckily, my wife was there, but it's crazy times at the moment."
Meanwhile, New Zealand cricketers and the board have teamed up with ANZ for a special fundraising game when the Blackcaps face Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Auckland on March 25. ANZ has pledged $1 million for the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund, with proceeds from ticket sales will also be donated by the board.
"We weren't good enough in the first game" - Blair Tickner
Tickner, who picked up four wickets in his debut at the Bay Oval, remains determined to level the series in Wellington and wants to do it for Hawke's Bay.
"We weren't good enough in the first game, but we are ready to go again here at the Basin," he added. "We think we've got the right tools to do the job, and we just have to do it better this time. I definitely want to get my first win in test match cricket and really want to do it for the people of Hawke's Bay."
Ben Stokes and Co. won the first Test by 267 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-game series and will hope to register a series victory.