Ahead of the second Test against India, Australia batting mainstay Steve Smith had to deal with a piece of heartbreaking news. The former Australia skipper missed out on his long-awaited reunion with his wife Dani Willis because of the new coronavirus restrictions. Smith has been away from his wife since August 31 when he went to England with the Australian team for the limited-overs series.

The series in England was followed by almost a two-month stay in the UAE for the Indian Premier League. Smith was leading Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL.  It was followed by quarantine in Australia before the series against India started. The right-handed batsman is the only Australian player who has played all the games (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is and one Test) against India so far.

Heartbreak for Steve Smith

Having been away from his wife for months, Steve Smith was waiting desperately for the reunion with her before the recent COVID-19 outbreak changed everything.  Until now, Cricket Australia had allowed partners to join players in the bubble after a three-day quarantine. However, the cricket board had to change the rule after the recent outbreak.

As a result, Smith and Willis will have to wait even longer to reunite. Willis managed to land in Melbourne from Sydney before Victoria closed its borders to all residents of Greater Sydney but the change in rules means she will have to wait for longer before reuniting with her husband. Last week, Smith had taken to Instagram to express his excitement over the fact that he was just seven days away from seeing his wife for the first time in months.

“114 days down and only 7 to go! It’s been a long 4 1/2 months away from my wife … but I can’t wait for her to join me in Melbourne next week just in time for Christmas!” Smith had written.

 

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Smith will now spend Christmas with his Test teammates as they prepare for the Boxing Day Test. Australia will be hoping that their star man remains in good spirits and delivers with the bat after a rare failure in the first Test.