New Zealand pacer Blair Tickner opened up about the troubles that he was plagued with due to the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck New Zealand during the time that he made his Test debut against England.
Tickner was called up for his maiden game in the longest format of the game for the series opener against England at Mount Maunganui. After the match, Tickner shared on Instagram the drastic effects that the storm had on his hometown of Hawkes' Bay. It was hit hard with flooding and wind damage destroying homes and businesses, isolating communities, and accounting for several of the cyclone's 11 confirmed fatalities.
Sharing pictures of the devastation on Instagram, Tickner also expressed gratitude to New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for allowing him and Central Districts teammate Will Young to take time off to assist their hometown in its recovery from the storm.
"My father's house has been fully destroyed. It was good to get back to and help them. It's just hard times for the whole region so helping out neighbours 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 was quoted as saying by Sfuff.co.nz.
"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," he added.
The Kiwi cricketers have joined forces with the board and ANZ for a special fundraising game when the Blackcaps take on Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International (ODI) on March 25 in Auckland. ANZ has pledged $1 million to the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund, with the board also donating proceeds from ticket sales.
