‘It’s just crazy’ – Blair Tickner opens about devastation caused by cyclone Gabrielle

New Zealand fast bowler Blair Tickner recently opened up about the disastrous impact Cyclone Gabrielle created in his hometown Hawke’s Bay. Tickner made his Test debut in the recently culminated first Test against England at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. However, England defeated New Zealand by 267 runs and have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Days after the first Test, both Tickner and his teammate Will Young were released from the squad. They will travel home to help their families and the communities they grew up in, which are torn apart by Cyclone. The 29-year-old fast bowler who took four wickets in his first Test, was very emotional while speaking to the media about the disaster.

“Obviously, you grow up there as a kid… it’s just crazy, to be honest, it’s hard to talk about, to be honest,” Tickner said.

He spoke about what he thought his maiden Test would look like. He dreamt of seeing his family and friends in the crowd cheering, and it was dashed by the storm. He also revealed that his dad was able to stop in for half an hour while picking up generators for the people in Hawkes Bay. However, he got some time to see him take his first Test wicket, before driving back home.

 “I think the only thing I sort of kept going back to is my family just saying it’s the only bright light at the moment,” he mentioned.

“It’s about a metre of mud at the moment. I probably should have driven around the neighbour’s yard and they said it wasn’t that deep and I got it stuck. So, sorry about that dad,” he added.

New Zealand Cricket and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand banking group) have teamed up to raise money for the Red Cross Disaster Fund in response to the devastation caused by the cyclone. Every ticket sold from the first one-day international (ODI) between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, at Eden Park on March 25, will also go to the cyclone fund. ANZ have already announced a $1 million fund for the affected.

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