New Zealand’s skipper in Tests and ODIs, Kane Williamson may well miss out from the few games of the series against Pakistan that will be the ongoing series against West Indies, and the team management will not have any problem with him prioritising the family over cricket. Head coach Gary Stead has hinted that Williamson will opt for paternity leave and that the move will be justified as in his words ‘other things are much more important’ than playing the game when the family is in need.
The series against Pakistan will comprise three T20Is from December 18 and two Tests and starting December while Williamson and his partner Sarah Raheem are expecting their first child later this month and this may force the right-hander to miss some of the matches of the series in ‘worst-case scenario.’
Gary Stead said that it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to be around your family at the occasion of the first child and that then the moment will be special for Williamson as well.
"Worst case scenario, Kane misses some matches. As a dad, as a parent, you only get that opportunity once in your life to be there for your (first) child's birth and I know that it's important for Kane too. At the end of the day, we play cricket, and other things are much more important. And that is much more important," Stead said after the completion of the first Test against West Indies that the hosts won by a whopping margin of an innings and 134 runs.
The discussion around prioritising family over cricket dominated headlines as the debate ignited on the issue of players opting for personal life over professional and patriotic commitments. Pandemic related travel restrictions and compulsion for players to be in travel bubbles to be able to play cricket.
Earlier last month, Indian captain Virat Kohli, too, opted for paternity leave after the scheduled end of the first test between India and Australia as he and his partner Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child back in India and the travel restrictions will mean that the most important batsman of the Indian batting line up will miss out of the remainder of the Test series.
The year that has been plagued by pandemic has forced players to weigh options such as their and their families' safety over playing cricket and it has been a serious departure from early days when players kept on playing irrespective of the situations in their families back home.
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