Voluntarily accepted to quarantine so that I could represent Australia, reveals Dan Christian
Dan Christian, who had to break his Vitality Blast stint and go into hard quarantine after being called up by Australia, revealed that he willingly made the sacrifice as he didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to represent the country. Christian has spent 11 of the last 12 months inside bubbles.
A journeyman in every literal sense, Daniel Christian has had quite the last 12 months. After starting his post-pandemic journey in the T20 Blast with Nottinghamshire in August, the 38-year-old played in the Big Bash, PSL and the IPL - in different types of bubbles - and then spent his post-IPL days hard quarantining in two different countries for close to a month so that he could enter the UK and play in the Vitality Blast. The all-rounder finally entered the UK successfully, but days within his arrival, he then received a call from the Australian selectors, who wanted him for the tour of West Indies.
Choosing country over club is an easy choice, but for Christian, it meant that he had to quarantine for 14 more days. Several individuals might have passed up such a deal but Christian, keen to represent the country again, decided to take the hard route. Speaking to smh.com.au, the 38-year-old all-rounder revealed that he made the choice voluntarily, and clarified that he was given the choice to stay-back.
“The selectors gave the option of whether I wanted to go on this tour, knowing I have to come home and quarantine, then be out of quarantine for three days and go again,” Christian said told smh.com.au.
“They said, ‘We understand if you don’t want to do that, if you want to stay in England’. I wouldn’t have been home until after quarantine in mid-October.
“It wasn’t a hard decision because you’re not going to knock back an opportunity to play for Australia at 38 but it was hard leaving Notts during my seventh season there. Now I’m probably going to have to do three quarantines in three months, and four in five.”
Along with Ben McDermott, Christian was picked by the Aussie selectors as a replacement for the withdrawn players, and it meant that the veteran had to leave Nottinghamshire behind. If not for the call-up, the 38-year-old would have played more than half-a-dozen T20 matches, but national selection means that the seasoned campaigner will, in the best case, play no more than 10 matches. But unbothered by the turn of events, Christian described the situation as a ‘small price to pay to represent your country.’
“That (the Vitality Blast stint) was all looking good then I get the Australian call-up, so I’m back into quarantine and bubble life again It’s a small price to pay to represent your country.”
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