A 'bleary-eyed” Black Caps captain Kane Williamson has linked back up with the team and is looking forward to a return to the park today, along with a bit more sleep.
The 30-year-old sat out the second-test win over the West Indies in Wellington, which finished last Monday, to be at home in Tauranga with wife Sarah Raheem ahead of the arrival of their first child.
Williamson then announced the birth of the couple's daughter in an Instagram post on Wednesday night.
Now, after joining his fellow test players in sitting out Friday night's opening Twenty20 International against Pakistan in Auckland, Williamson linked back up with the side in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon, ready to take his place for game two at Seddon Park today.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead said he was delighted for his superstar batsman, who, despite looking a little lethargic, typically came into the nets and middled the ball well.
'He's quite tired, a bit bleary-eyed, I think,” says Gary. 'But overall, he's hitting them well. Just normal Kane, gets about his business.”
The man himself admitted he was looking forward to getting a few more hours sleep while back in camp with his team, after what he said was an 'incredibly special few days at home”.
'Obviously you get a lot of advice along the way on what to expect and you try to take that into account, but you can't quite expect it, eh,” he said in an interview with the New Zealand Cricket media team.
'It's just an incredibly special experience to have. It's really hard to put words into how you feel and going through it, and the appreciation you have for your wives and partners, that are obviously bearing so much of that whole experience.
'It's just so amazing, really, to be there through it, and obviously to have a few days at home has been really, really cool. But at the same time, it's nice to get back with the guys and looking forward to getting involved in these T20s.”
Williamson was captured on video embracing with senior team-mates Ross Taylor and Tim Southee at the nets on Saturday – two players who themselves know the feelings he would have been going through.
'There's a lot of guys in the team now that have children,” says Kane. 'In a lot of ways, you go through the years and you're all the young guys, and now you're not so young, and you have a few other interests. There's a lot of kids in amongst the team which is really, really cool.
'It was great to be back with the guys, obviously there's that natural excitement with the most recent experiences, which is cool, and excitement that I'll also get to sleep, all those bits that come with it,” he quipped.
While there was plenty going on at home, Williamson still had time to watch the test win over the Windies, as he tried to get some cricket in the blood of his newborn daughter nice and early.
'Baby just chilling, sleeping, watching a bit of the cricket, which was cool, trying to get her switched on early,” he laughed.
'I watched as much as I could, but they take up a lot of your time, eh? I'm just starting to realise, it's fully occupied.”
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