'Its good to be home, don't have any regrets' - Daniel Sams on missing WI and Bangladesh series

Among the seven players who missed the limited-overs series against West Indies, Daniel Sams was one of them. The all-rounder pulled out of the tour due to mental health and personal reasons. This decision was made by the left-arm pacer after he contracted COVID-19 while playing in the first half of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

After successfully recovering from the COVID-19, the bowler played a few games for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before the league was suspended on May 04. Since returning to his homeland, Sams conveyed his wish to Cricket Australia (CA) of not going on tour to the Caribbean Island for the white-ball series.

Apart from the series against West Indies, Australia are also set to tour Bangladesh for a T20I series in August. Skipper Aaron Finch told during one of his interviews, that both the series will be crucial in deciding the makeup of the Australian side ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, which is scheduled to be held in October-November in the UAE.

Sams though feels he does not have regret over his decision to opt-out of the two tours, which are ideal preparation for the global event. “It was quite challenging with getting COVID in India, but it’s been really good to be home. Don’t have any regrets I’ve had thoughts of ‘wish I was there but in the end, I made the decision that’s best for me long term,” Sams told to ESPNcricinfo.

My Relationship is the most important thing: Daniel Sams

The Australian all-rounder further opined that his priority currently was being with his wife and that they were away for a long time due to his cricket commitments. “My relationship is the most important thing, one of the biggest reasons for me pulling out was so I can connect back with my wife Danii because we’d never been apart for that long. That was definitely a priority and then my mental health as well.”

Sams further concluded by saying that he hopes to make it to the T20 team, owing to his batting skills. “I’d like to improve on my bowling a little internationally. But I feel more than confident I can be a big part of the Australian T20 team. I’d like to bat as high as possible, but being realistic batting seven, there’s been a lot of talk about the finisher role, and that’s something I feel I could potentially do.”

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