Australia's jumbo IPL contingent comprising players, broadcasters and support staff heaved a huge sigh of relief as they exited the mandatory quarantine upon return to reunite with their loved ones, at long last. The 38-member group landed in the country two weeks ago after a stopover in the Maldives due to a travel ban from COVID-ravaged India.
The much-awaited homecoming in wake of a logistical ordeal brought a smile to the faces of players and their near and dear ones. Warner posted videos on Instagram of him embracing his daughters, before sharing a clip of the ocean captioned "It's great to be home".
Pat Cummins leaving behind the shackles of quarantine to meet his pregnant partner Becky Bonston was another cute sight to behold.
Besides the pace ace, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Moises Henriques and Jason Behrendoff were chuffed to bits as well after having spent nearly eight weeks on the road.
Fast bowler Jason Behrendorff told public broadcaster ABC it was "nice to have some fresh air" after leaving quarantine.
"It's always tough being stuck somewhere, and knowing that we're able to get home was a relief, and now we're out of quarantine, I can't wait to get home and see my family," he said.
There won’t be plenty of scope for downtime, however, as a bunch of the Australian players have been picked for the forthcoming tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh. Five T20Is in Bangladesh were added to Australia’s itinerary as part of a jam-packed schedule that will see them playing 13 games in under a month. Australian will contest the five games in Bangladesh immediately after their white-ball sojourn of the Caribbean and could wind them up in a short span of ten days.
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