File photo of Steve Smith (right) with wife Dani Willis.
Playing international cricket in a COVID-19 affected season has come at a cost. We have already seen that someone the likes of Hardik Pandya and T Natarajan unable to meet their newborns for months due to national duty and now there is another addition to the list.
Australian batting star Steve Smith, who hasn't met his wife in last four months over professional commitments, won't be able to reunite with his wife Dani Willis on Christmas over COVID-19 restrictions and will have to wait longer before the two can meet each other again.
Since leaving to play in England for Australia in August, Smith has been locked away in a series of “bubbles” across three continents. After the limited-over series in England, Smith traveled to the UAE to play in two-month-long IPL and then returned to Australia to be part of the ongoing India series.
Unable to hold the excitement to meet his wife in months, Smith also posted a heartfelt message on Instagram to reveal how excited he is to meet his wife again.
However, in a cruel twist, the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in New South Wales meant that Smith and Willis won't be able to reunite despite the latter's effort to rust into Melbourne before Victoria’s border closed to the Greater Sydney area on Sunday evening, reported the Daily Telegraph.
Cricket Australia’s understandably strict biosecurity protocols has made it mandatory to be in quarantine before joining the Australian squad bubble.
Previously, players and their families were allowed to enter the bubble after a three-day quarantine, but the surge in COVID-19 cases forced CA to change its protocols this week.
