Tickner says he finds perspective beyond cricket after wife's cancer battle

Wellington: New Zealand fast bowler Blair Tickner revealed his wife's battle with cancer changed his perspective on life. The 33-year-old pacer said he now focuses on enjoying the game instead of being brought down by the pressure he used to feel early in his career.

"It's amazing to have Sarah and my family through it all. And, I guess, now I'm just trying to enjoy my cricket and I'm probably being a bit more myself,” he said ahead of the second ODI against India.

"I think I've had different parts of my career. I guess, start of my career, I felt a lot of pressure, then when we had Sarah's cancer treatment, it was hard," he reflected.

Tickner said with the perspective that he has gained over the past two years has made him understand the importance of enjoying every moment. "Now I'm sort of in the back end and I'm looking forward to just having fun, really."

His wife Sarah went through eight months of cancer treatment after being diagnosed with leukemia in April 2024. She won her battle against the disease on christmas eve in that year and has been in remission ever since.

The Kiwi bowler said he realised that cricket is not the most important part of his life. "I try to play with a smile on my face, and, yeah, it's a lot more than cricket, obviously. It's done a lot for me, but I know that at the end of the day, I'm going to go home to my daughter and my wife and I'm pretty happy and pretty lucky to do that.”

"So, yeah, cricket's a little bit less than that," said Tickner.
(With PTI inputs).