"More than two years have passed since Blair Tickner last played for New Zealand, two years in which his life was thrown into chaos, his career into doubt, his family into crisis. Obviously people haven't seen me as much, but I feel like I've been doing all the right things for the last two years, he said of his call-up, one game into the ODI series against England. So nothing's really changed. I'm still the same guy."
"He received the call just before the start of a County Championship game against Sussex, but because the toss had already taken place and he had been named in the XI the ECB refused Derbyshire permission to replace him, despite their opponents having agreed that they could do so. We tried to get myself out of that game but the ECB kept me in, he said. So I had to play that game knowing my wife had leukaemia."
"Tickner's wife, Sarah, is now in remission. It's been a process but we're in the good stage of it I guess now, he said. Still in remission and still monthly chemo, but she's a strong woman. It's been a big ordeal for the family but [we're] getting out the other side. Since his last New Zealand appearance Tickner has inevitably been forced to re-evaluate his life, his career, and his priorities."
More than two years elapsed between Blair Tickner's New Zealand appearances as personal crises interrupted his career. In May 2024, while playing for Derbyshire, Tickner's wife Sarah was diagnosed with leukaemia. ECB rules prevented Derbyshire from replacing him after the toss, forcing Tickner to play while shuttling between hospital visits. Despite the circumstances he recorded a career-best 47 with the bat across two days. Sarah entered remission and continues monthly chemotherapy. The family used the ordeal to reprioritise, spend more time together, and reassess Tickner's cricket future amid uncertainty about his career trajectory.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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